Dragon Quest
by Sichan
Summary: *I suck at summaries but it's a good story for people who love the Nall/Ruby romance* Zophar's planning his revenge on Lucia. How will he revive himself? And, will Nall and Ruby be able to say how much they care before it's too late for them?
1. Mourning a Lost Loved One

Dragon Quest  
By: BlackLiGurl  
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue  
  
Note: I had just beat the game Lunar 2: Eternal Blue and I noticed that they never really showed where Ruby and Nall's "relationship" was going sooooo, I decided to write a Epilogue to the Epilogue. It's different from the usual Digimon fics I write so enjoy!  
  
Chapter 1: Mourning a Lost Loved One  
  
Nall watched as his little cat-like friend cried into a pillow. Ruby had been doing this for months now, mourning the departure of her best friend, Hiro. Hiro had went to the Blue Star in search of Lucia a year ago. He sighed and decided it was finally time to do something about it.  
"Ruby, quit crying," he said taking a seat on the bed beside her, "it's not gonna do anything except make you smell like a wet dog."  
"Oh leave me alone!"  
"No, you're being a baby."  
"Like you'd understand what I'm going through."  
He huffed, insulted by the comment Ruby made.  
"I'M MORE THAN A THOUSAND YEARS OLD!! OF COURSE I UNDERSTAND DOH- DOH!!" Nall yelled.  
Ruby looked at him, tears still flowing down her furry cheeks. Once again, he sighed and laid back with his hands behind his head.  
"I'm sorry that he left but there's nothing we can do about it," he said softly, looking over at the pink kitty creature, "and I'm sorry about yelling at you."  
"I know.but I miss Hiro so much. Even if you are more than a thousand years old, you still wouldn't understand," she said wiping her face with her paws, "you didn't lose someone you loved to some girl that just popped out of a crystal."  
Nall picked up Ruby by her wings and sat her on his chest so he could get a better look at her. She curled up there, making herself comfortable.  
"But I did lose all of the people I loved to time, disease, and murderers." he said petting her gently, "At least you know where he is and that he's happy."  
Ruby looked at him as Nall stopped petting her and saw he was looking at the ceiling with a distant gaze in his eyes.  
"Thanks Nall. Even though you're a cocky, pain-in-the-butt, insensitive, smart-alleck, impolite, know-it-all-"  
"HEY!"  
"Lemme finish!" Ruby yelled, "you always know how to make me feel better."  
"That would have been considered sweet if you hadn't added all the freakin' INSULTS!"  
"Quit complaining."  
"Anyway, I'm glad to see you've finally stopped crying. Me and all the Dragon Kids were worried about you. We thought you'd never stop."  
"You were worried about me?" Ruby asked.  
"Uh-"  
Nall looked away from Ruby's face and blushed madly.  
"No! I said the Dragon Kids were worried about you. Not me," Nall quickly lied.  
"NALL IT'S OBVIOUS!! QUIT LYING!!"  
"I'M NOT LYING!!"  
"Pfft, whatever."  
"Whatever." Nall mumbled grabbing Ruby roughly and throwing her onto the bed as he sat up.  
"Hey watch it buddy!!"  
Quickly and quietly, Nall headed for the playground of Taben's Peak. He sat on one of the make-shift swings and looked at the ground. Ruby followed him and sat on a vacant seat beside him. She looked at him for a moment then up at the Blue Star. Suddenly, the tears started up again. Nall looked at her.  
"Quiet you," Nall growled, "you're gonna wake up the kids with all that blubbering."  
"See what I mean! You're so rude and insensitive and mean!"  
He groaned and decided to change the subject.  
"So, when you finally get over Hiro," he said rolling his eyes, "do you still want me to teach you how to turn human?"  
"Of course."  
"I'm sure it'll make you feel better.and then we can surprise the others," he said smiling.  
"Okay."  
"So when do you wanna learn?"  
"Tomorrow."  
"Okay then, I'll let you finish crying tonight. Come in when you're ready to sleep."  
Nall stood up and started toward the door. He stopped and looked back at her.  
"Don't be loud though."  
"You suck Nall."  
"You won't be saying that when you have two legs and skin."  
He chuckled as he heard her murmur and left the playground. In his room, he took off his jacket and brown tank top and flopped on the bed.  
'Ruby, I hope learning how to take on a human form makes you feel better,' Nall thought as he drifted off to sleep.  
Out on the playground, Ruby stayed seated on the swing, looking up at the Blue Star.  
"Oh Hiro. Why did you leave me here all alone? Nall's cool and handsome and all but.I miss you." Ruby said to no one in particular, "can you see me right now? Can you see me being all sad and stuff? If you can, why don't you come back? Why won't you come back?"  
She sighed and flew in the building. Quietly, Ruby entered Nall's room and landed on his bed. With a yawn, she curled up on his chest and went to sleep.  
In the morning, Nall opened his eyes slowly. It was still early so he could get started on everything before everyone woke up. Before he sat up, he noticed that there was something furry on him. Immediately, he knew it was Ruby. So, Nall gently took her off of him and sat her on the bed. Then, he got started on breakfast. A few hours later, Ruby woke up.  
'Where's Nall?'  
She flew into the kitchen area and looked around. Sure enough, there was Nall at the stove with a apron on, cooking. Ruby smiled and sat at the table. She watched him do his big brotherly duty for the little orphans. Nall turned around and saw Ruby sitting on the table watching him.  
"Good morning," he said grabbing some plates and setting them down on the table, "feeling better."  
"I'm still sad but I talked it out."  
"With yourself?" Nall asked laughing. "No stupid!" Ruby yelled. She calmed down and finished, "with, Hiro."  
Nall just looked at her for a moment and then resumed fixing the table.  
"You know, it took me a while to get over all of my friends deaths. First, Mia died from some weird disease. Nash died some months later from the same thing. Then, some angry gambler murdered Kyle. Two years later Jessica died from loneliness I guess. Last, Luna and Alex. Time had taken it's toll. They died on the same day a year after Jessica." Nall said as he put the last of the plates down, "After 80 years of fun after we saved Luna, and I lose all of them within a 3 year period."  
Ruby watched as he strolled down memory lane, although it wasn't good memories. She could hear the hurt in his voice and see the pain in his eyes.  
"Nall, I didn't realize."  
"I know you didn't. Anyway, I don't like to dwell on that subject too long," he said bringing several pans of eggs over to the table and putting them in a large bowl, "I might get a bit emotional and I can't do that now can I?"  
"Sometimes its best to just let it out."  
"But I cried that out a long time ago.when I was still a child. I've grown up now and I've made somewhat of an image for myself. If I cry, these kids won't look up to me in the same way. I won't look at me in the same way," he said continuing, putting bacon in another large bowl, "besides, I don't need to cry."  
Ruby watched him silently.  
"Boys." she mumbled  
"Well, I'm done." he said taking off the apron, "Ruby, could you tell the kids that breakfast is ready while I go put a shirt on?"  
She nodded and smirked devilishly.  
"HEY YOU LITTLE BRATS!!!!!!!!" she screamed, "NALL FINISHED COOKING BREAKFAAAAAAAAAST!!!!!!!"  
"Nice." he mumbled sarcastically as he went into his room.  
He grabbed his brown tank top and put it on. Then he sat there for awhile, avoiding the commotion of breakfast.  
'Poor Ruby,' Nall thought, laughing mentally, 'the Dragon Kids are always violent when it's time to eat.'  
Suddenly, Ruby burst through the door with eggs on her head. She flew over to Nall and glared at him infuriated.  
"You never told me they would be so.so."  
"Violent?"  
"YEAH!" she yelled frustrated.  
Nall chuckled and took the eggs off of her head.  
"After breakfast, we'll work on getting you into your human form."  
"Okay! Did you cook me any fish?"  
"Not really. I cooked myself fish."  
"You are so selfish!!" Ruby yelled.  
"You should have let me finish talking!! I was gonna say and I was gonna share some with you but now, I don't think I should!"  
"Oh no! I'm sorry!"  
"No need to suck up.I'm gonna share some with you anyway."  
"Yay!" Ruby celebrated.  
They both went into the kitchen to eat breakfast together.  
Meanwhile, in the depths of darkness, Zophar's subconscious laid dormant. Although he didn't have a body, he could still plot his revenge and resurrection.  
'I will absorb the Dragon Auras.that will give me enough strength to resurrect and get my revenge on Lucia and her dim-witted human Hiro." Zophar thought angrily, 'YIRA! RYO!'  
A woman and a man dressed in black cloaks materialized in the darkness.  
"Yes Lord Zophar?" they said in unison.  
'Bring me the Dragon Auras and do so now!!"  
"Yes Lord Zophar."  
As quickly as they had appeared, they disappeared. Zophar began to laugh malevolently.  
'Soon, revenge will be mine!!!' 


	2. Transformation and the Crazy Lady!

Dragon Quest  
By: BlackLiGurl  
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue  
  
Here's chapter 2 (duh). But I noticed the title has almost nothing to do with the story! I suck at giving stories titles. Oh well, never judge a story by it's title ^_^.  
  
Chapter 2: Transformation and the Crazy Lady  
  
"You'll be needing this over you." Nall said as he threw a sheet over Ruby.  
"Why?" she asked peeking out from under the sheet.  
"Uh.anyways.this is Sara and Satsuki! After you transform, they'll be helping with all the stuff you need. We bought you some clothes and other stuff girls wear."  
"Okay."  
The teenaged girls smiled and sat down. There weren't many teenaged Dragon Kids and they were two of the few. Nall sat down in a circle he drew which was supposed to be magical.  
"Okay now, Ruby, sit over there," Nall said pointing to a mat in front of him.  
She landed on the mat and pawed at it.  
"It's very comfy!"  
"Ruby focus."  
"I'M COMPLIMENTING YOUR FASION SENSE!!"  
"DO YOU WANNA BE A HUMAN OR NOT!?!"  
They glared at each other until Sara cleared her throat.  
"Come on now you two." Sara said, "there's no need to fight since there will be enough time for that when Ruby's a human."  
"Whatever.Ruby, you'll have to stay in your human form for one week or we'll have to go through this again. If you need to be in your other forms, you can only do so for 3 hours. Now, close your eyes and concentrate on becoming a human."  
Ruby bowed her head and shut her eyes. Everyone watched her in silence. But nothing happened.  
"It's not working Nall!!"  
"Were you thinking about humans or fish." he asked glaring at her.  
"Uh."  
Everyone sweat dropped and sighed.  
"CONCENTRATE!!" Nall yelled.  
"WELL I'M HUNGRY!!"  
"What the..?! You JUST ate!! Well, whatever.Try again."  
"Okay."  
Once again, Ruby bowed her head and closed her eyes. Her eyebrows furrowed as she focused on becoming human; focused on having skin; focused on having arms; and focused on having hair on her head and not all over her. Suddenly, the circle began to glow and so did Ruby. Her little body began to morph into the figure of a 17-year-old girl. When the glow faded, Ruby only had two things on; the sheet over her head, which partially covered her body, and the yellow bow that was always in her head. She was slender and her magenta hair flowed down to her knees.  
"AH!" she screamed pulling the sheet around her, "NAAALL!!! YOU DIDN'T TELL ME THIS WILL HAPPEN!!"  
"Well, um, I'll just leave now. Satsuki, Sara, you take over," Nall quickly said looking down at the ground.  
He laughed nervously and swiftly walked out the door, his face red as a tomato. Satsuki and Sara giggled.  
"Big brother is so silly around you Ruby," Sara said helping Ruby stand, "it's obvious that he has a crush on you."  
"A crush?" Ruby mumbled as she tried to stand up on her own.  
"That's an understatement."  
Sara and Ruby looked at Satsuki as she pulled a bra and panties out of a bag.  
"Big brother loves Ruby. I guess it's some kind of scent attraction like that of ordinary animals have or maybe just because you two are one of a kind," she said putting the underwear on Ruby.  
"Anyway, now here's what we bought you to wear, I hope you like!"  
Sara pulled out a white halter-top, a pink skirt with white fur at the bottom, a jacket that matched the skirt.  
"I think it will look so cute on you!" Sara said happily.  
The two teenaged girls helped her put the outfit on. Ruby looked in the mirror at herself and smiled.  
'Nall's gonna drop dead when he gets a good look at me!' Ruby thought satisfied.  
"We're not done yet!"  
Satsuki and Sara started to brush and comb her hair.  
"Quit tugging on my fur!" Ruby ordered.  
"We aren't tugging on your fur.I mean hair. We are doing it," Satsuki said tying her hair in two ponytails, "now make-up."  
They put lipstick on her lips and puffed her cheeks with light pink blush.  
"We're done!" Sara announced.  
"You're gonna make a beautiful human!"  
During this time, Nall paced back and forth outside the room. He couldn't wait to see how Ruby looked.  
'I didn't get to get a good look at how she looked.if I stared, that would have made me look perverted.' he thought.  
The door opened slowly and Nall stopped walking abruptly. Ruby stepped out of the room and looked at the ground, blushing and fiddling with her fingers.  
"Whoa."  
"So.whaddaya think?" she asked looking up at him.  
Nall scratched his chin and blushed, making Sara and Satsuki giggle.  
"We'll leave you two alone."  
They left the hallway to join their fellow Dragon Kids. Nall and Ruby stared at each other for a while.  
"Well? I said whaddaya think!! ANSWER!!"  
"I think you look.okay."  
" 'OKAY!?!' THAT'S IT!?!"  
"Sheesh Ruby, even in your human form you're as bratty and loud as ever!"  
"YOU ARE SUUUUUUUUUCH A GREAT, BIG, MEANIE JERKY-HEAD!!!"  
"Wow, such a mature choice of words." Nall said sarcastically.  
Ruby stormed out of the hallway and into the bedroom. Nall watched her leave and sighed. Then, he went to the kitchen to start on lunch. Ruby sat on the bed mumbling to herself.  
"Satsuki said that Nall loved me and Sara said he had a crush on me. But he doesn't act like it."  
Nall sat the sandwiches on the table and called the orphans in. He stood and watched them in silence.  
"Big brother, don't you want to eat?" a little boy asked.  
"Nah, I've got some thinking to do."  
He retreated to his "throne" room and sat on his chair.  
'Now that Ruby can turn human, she's really starting to grow up and in more ways than mentally. But I know she loves Hiro.' Nall thought.  
A woman appeared suddenly in front of him, stopping his train of thought. She took the hood of her black cloak off, revealing her face. She had pale skin, red tattoos on her cheeks, and short black hair.  
"Who are you and what do you want?" Nall said in a irritated tone.  
She walked up to him and sat on the arm on his chair. He looked at her confused.  
"I am Yira and what I want, is you cutie," the woman said seductively, letting her cloak come down past her shoulders.  
"What the.!? Look lady, I'm not into that kind of stuff!"  
Yira laid on him and started rub his chest.  
"Of course you are."  
"Noooooo I'm not. Get off!"  
Ruby walked down the hall and put her hand on the handle on the door of Nall's private room. She inhaled and opened the door. When she stepped in, she saw a lady with her cloak half on laying on top of Nall.  
"NALL! WHAT'S GOING ON HERE!!" Ruby shouted.  
"Ruby, it's not what you think!! Get this lady offa me!!"  
"You know you want me," Yira said putting her hands up his shirt.  
Nall whimpered and struggled to push the lady off of him.  
'Why is she so strong?! I can't get her off!'  
Ruby growled and ran out. Suddenly, Ruby heard screaming come from the room she was just in. She turned around and saw white light shining from the door, illuminating the hallway.  
"Nall?" she asked herself as she swiftly made her way back to the room.  
She looked inside and saw Yira with one hand on Nall's chest and the other hand was taking a bag out of her cloak's pocket. Nall was screaming in pain and there was a bright, white light coming from him. When Yira removed her hand, she held Nall's Dragon Aura.  
"One down, three to go." she mumbled putting his Dragon Aura in the bag, "now time to dispose of you, cutie."  
Yira took out a dagger and wrapped her skinny fingers around Nall's neck, choking him. Slowly, she raised the blade and as she was about to bring it down, Ruby decided to speak up.  
(A/N: Ever notice that the bad guys always do everything sooooo slow and that always give the good guys enough time to stop them?)  
"EEEEIIIIIAAA!!" Ruby screamed, "put his Aura back!!"  
Yira turned around and looked at Ruby.  
"Another dragon? Well, this is going to make my part of the job easy." Yira said smirking and dropping poor Nall.  
"R-Ru-Ruby." Nall murmured with the last of his strength, "I-"  
With that, Nall collapsed at the bottom of the chair. Ruby looked at him in dismay and then at Yira. Rage filled her heart and she automatically changed into the powerful Red Dragon. Yira smirked.  
"Do you want to burn down this safe-haven for all of those little kids and destroy his White Dragon Aura?"  
Ruby glared at the cloaked women and then regressed to her human form.  
"Thata girl," Yira said in a 'you're-a-pet' tone of voice, "don't worry, I can only fit one Aura in this bag. I'll be back for yours later."  
Yira disappeared. Ruby ran over to Nall and laid his limp body on her lap. She started to cry.  
"Oh Nall, please don't be dead.The Dragon Kids need you.I need you." 


	3. Stolen Aura

Dragon Quest

By: BlackLiGurl

Lunar 2: Eternal Blue

Chapter 3: Stolen Aura

                Nall's eyes slowly opened. He looked up at Ruby and smiled weakly.

                "Glad to hear that…" he said softly. 

                Ruby smiled and then frowned.

                "YOU HEARD ME!! I THOUGHT YOU WERE UNCONSCIOUS!!" Ruby yelled. She calmed down, "you were so lifeless and limp…I was worried. I can't take care of those monsters by myself…"

                He shrugged. Then he closed his eyes and changed into small white cat-like creature. Ruby blinked and looked at the baby dragon on her lap. Ruby carried Nall like a baby to his bedroom, where she laid him in the bed and covered him up.

                "By the way, Ruby…" Nall mumbled.

                "Yes?"

                "You look beautiful…"

                She blushed as he curled up and fell asleep. Afterward, Ruby was sitting in the kitchen area explaining what happened with Ronfar, Jean, Leo, and Lemina. Nall, now in his human form once again, was still sleeping in his bedroom.

                "Did I mention you look really hot, Red?" Ronfar said.

                "Yes!!" everyone said annoyed.

                "NOW'S NOT THE TIME TO BE A PERVERT!!" Ruby yelled.

                "Right, it's not the time to hit on Ruby," Jean said, "from what she said, she and the other two Dragons are in danger."

                "You're engaged to my sister, don't forget that!!" Leo roared.

                "Sorry…"

                "Anyway, I want you all to help me stop them and get Nall's Dragon Aura back."

                "We will gladly help you Ruby!" Lemina said giving her a thumb up.

                "Thanks."

                Nall sat up wearily and looked around. He put his clothes on and walked out into the kitchen area. Ronfar, Jean, Leo, Lemina, and Ruby all stared at him as soon as he walked in.

                "What are you all doing here?" he asked as he rubbed his head.

                "Ruby told us what happened," Leo said, "are you okay?"

                "Yeah…yeah I'm fine…"

                He sat down beside Ruby and looked around.

                "Where's all the kids?" he growled, "she didn't hurt them did she?!"

                "Calm down Nall, I sent them to bed early," Ruby said sweetly, "and I made them dinner too."

                "Oh, okay."

                "Besides Nall, you should be getting rest right now," Jean said.

                "Yeah, what are you doing out of bed anyway? You still look mega-tired."

                "Because I feel fine…"

                "Are you sure?" Ruby said.

                "YES!" he yelled annoyed.

                "Take it easy buddy," Ronfar said putting his hands up in defense, "we're just worried about you that's all. No need to bite our heads off pal."

                "YEAH! I WAS JUST WORRIED ABOUT YOU JERK!!"                

                "I'm sorry it's just that I feel horrible…"

                "Then you should be resting," Leo said.

                "No, I feel horrible because I got my Dragon Aura stolen twice…" Nall mumbled, "I feel like a weakling."

                Nall got up and left the room. Everyone sat in silence until a little boy walked in.

                "What's wrong Tommy?" Ruby asked as the little boy walked over to her.

                "I'm so worried about Big Brother, I can't sleep. Will he be okay?" Tommy asked.

                Ruby smiled and nodded.

                "Yep! You bet! He's already starting to walk around. But I'm ordering him to stay in bed so I'll probably be cooking breakfast tomorrow."

                Everyone watched Ruby as she took on an odd motherly role they weren't used to seeing.

                "Aw man…"

                "WHADDAYA MEAN 'AW MAN'!?!?!" Ruby screamed.

                "Well, no offense Ruby, but you can't cook…"

                Ronfar laughed loudly, making Ruby shoot him a death glare.

                "Get to bed brat…" Ruby mumbled, "Nall will be just fine…"

                Tommy laughed and ran back into the room. Ruby sighed.

                "Well, Ruby, you have definitely matured," Jean said.

                "Not according to Nall."

                "Speaking of Nall," Lemina said, "now that Nall's Dragon Aura was taken, that means he can't become an adult dragon, right?"

                "Yeah, why?"

                "I was just checking."

                "Ruby, I think you should go talk to him," Leo said scratching his chin.

                "Why me?"

                "Because you're closer to Nall than any of us are," Lemina giggled.

                Ruby frowned.

                "Fine, I'll talk to him…"

                She got up and walked in Nall's bedroom. Nall was laying in the bed with the covers over his head. Ruby sat down beside him and poked him.

                "Nall?"

                "What? Come to laugh?"

                "Why would I do that stupid?!" Ruby yelled, "I came to cheer you up!"

                Nall sat up and looked at Ruby. She wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace.

                "Why are you hugging me?" Nall asked looking down at his hands.

                "Nall don't be depressed. We'll get your Dragon Aura back."

                "If I can't even keep it for a year, what makes you think I actually deserve it? I'm too weak to protect myself, let alone anyone else…" Nall said sadly, "you know what they say; 'Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me' and all that stuff"

                "That's not the Nall I grew to know…and…know talking! You sound like…you sound like someone who's not you!" she said laying her head on his shoulder and looking up at him.

                Nall sighed and looked down at Ruby.

                "But…"

                "Nall, quit being a baby!!" Ruby said getting up, "Now, are you going to help me, Jean, Ronfar, Lemina, and Leo get your Dragon Aura back and stop that lady from taking the rest of our Dragon Auras or are you just going to sit around here moping and making everyone worry about you!?!?!"

                "Like I'd be any good."

                "GRR!! QUIT IT!!" Ruby screamed, "ARE YOU JUST GOING TO LET HER GET AWAY AND THEN LET HER COME BACK TO DO THE SAME TO ME!?!"

                Nall looked at her and then at the ground.

                "You do care…don't you?" 

"If I can't protect me, what makes you think I can protect you?"

                Ruby's eyes filled with tears as she looked at Nall. He sighed.

                "Of course I do…" Nall said standing up, "and you're right. I'm being a big baby."

                He put his hand on her head and ruffled her hair.

                "Thank you," he said as he dried her tears with his free hand.

                "Anytime…"

                "I see you actually have been listening to me! I taught you something after all!" He laughed.

                "Very funny…"

                "Well, let's go join everyone else."

                As they were about to walk out of the room, Nall fell to one knee. Ruby kneeled down to help him up.

                "Are you okay?" she asked.

                "Yeah, I'm just still a bit tired from the attack…that's all…"

                "Well, you better be okay by tomorrow!! We have an adventure to start!" Ruby said helping Nall to the bed.

                "I will be…no worry," he said smiling, "and tell them that they can stay the night if they can find a room."

                Nall watched as Ruby gave him a quick smile and walked out. He closed his eyes and smiled to himself.

                _'When she's not being a spoiled brat, she's cute…'_

                Ruby walked back in the room where Ronfar, Jean, Lemina, and Leo was. They were playing "Strip Poker", which was obviously Ronfar's idea, and he happened to be losing badly. Ruby giggled as Ronfar lost once again, along with Leo and Jean.

                "Well Ronfar, time to take off the boxers," Lemina laughed, "and I get all the money! Yeah!"

                "Oh com'mon!!"

                Leo took off his shirt while Jean took off her headband.

                "Come on Ronfar! Take it off," Ruby giggled.

                "I know you ladies wanna see the goods but they're Mauri's goods…"

                "No, we just wanna see you embarrassed to death for suggesting this dumb game, pervert!" Jean said.

                "Fine, fine! I will never suggest it again!"

                "Thata boy," Lemina said petting Ronfar on the head.

                He growled as he retrieved his clothes and put them on.

                "That was funny. I needed something to lighten the mood," Ruby said.

                "Anyway, so how's Nall," Jean asked as she put her shirt on.

                "He's not depressed anymore and he says he'll come too but he's still a bit weak from the lost of his Dragon Aura."__

                "So I guess we'll go to Vane. I have some extra rooms in the mansion."

                "Nall said that y'all can stay here, but I suggest going to Vane. There's no rooms left here unless you sleep in the dungeon, one of the rooms the kids stay in, or Nall's room."

                "Yeah so, let's go gang. Off to Vane!!"

                Everyone said their goodbyes to Ruby and left. Suddenly, Ruby realized she had no where to sleep herself.

                _'Uh-oh. Where am I supposed to sleep? I'm supposed to stay in my human form for a week or else I'll have to do the magic circle thingy again. And I always slept with Nall…'___

Meanwhile, on the Blue Star, Lucia's eyes opened suddenly.

                "Hiro…Hiro, wake up!"

                Hiro looked up at the green crystal Lucia was in. He saw a worried look on her face.

                "What's wrong Lucia?"

                "I sense evil on Lunar. I think it's Zophar again!"

                The crystal disappeared and Lucia walked over to Hiro. He stood up and put his cloak around her.

                "So I guess we have to go back. It'll be great to see everyone again."

                She nodded and they stepped into a portal. The couple disappeared and they started their trek to Lunar.

                Back on the planet, Nall woke up to a girl laying on him. He blushed and tapped Ruby's shoulder. She stirred and put her hands around him. Nall's face turned redder as she did this. He tapped her again but she just hugged him tighter.

                "Hiro…"

                Nall blinked as Ruby mumbled the name of her friend. He frowned and pushed her off of him gently. He growled as he walked out to the playground.

                _'I knew it! I knew she still loved Hiro…'___

Ruby stretched and hugged a pillow.

                "Hiro…I love Nall now…" she mumbled.

                Suddenly, she sat up and scratched her head.

                "What a weird dream. I DON'T LOVE NALL!! Do I?"

                She got up and walked out to the kitchen. The orphans were there, already eating breakfast.

                "Morning Ruby."

                "Good morning Sean. Where's Nall?"

                "I dunno. We haven't seen him all morning."

                "Who cooked breakfast then?" she asked scratching her head.

                "I did."

                Ruby looked over and saw Ronfar standing behind her. Jean, Lemina, and Leo were with him.

                "Oh, hey guys!"

                Nall walked in and looked around.

                "Nall there you are!!"

                She ran over to him but he just looked at her.

                "Don't do that again. I was worried that that mean lady came and took you away," Ruby said beaming at him.

                Ronfar, Jean, Lemina, and Leo walked over to them. Nall sighed and looked away. Ruby looked at him strangely and shrugged.

                "How are you feeling?" Jean asked.

                "Better," he mumbled.

                "Good."

                "What's wrong Nall," Ruby asked.

                "It's nothing."

                Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. Nall watched as one of the orphaned kids opened the door. It was a brown haired boy around 18 and a blue haired girl around the same age. Ruby gasped and ran over to them.

Note: Now that chapter 3's over with and done with…Review!! I beg of you to review! I need your critique and comments! Also, I'm pretty sure everyone knows who the surprise guests are ^_^. 


	4. Jealousy Hurt the Cat

Dragon Quest  
By: BlackLiGurl  
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue  
  
Note: YAY!! Sorry it took me so long to update this story but my floppy disk it was on erased it so I had to write it over again. Everyone might be a little out of character, especially Nall. So I'll appologize before you read, just incase because I know fanfics suck when the characters are out of character ^_^. I had to get back into the flow of the story and that might take a few chapters. So let me know if this one was okay. If not, I'll try to change it a bit and repost it. But, I don't want any ignorant flames! Just, constructive critism...I think I spelt that wrong...and is "spelt" a word? Oh well, here it is.  
  
Chapter 4: Jealousy Hurt the Cat  
  
"Hiro!!" she screamed wrapping her arms around the brown-haired boy that had come through the door.  
Nall raised an eyebrow and growled under his breath. He didn't like that had Hiro come back. Although it hurt Ruby and he knew it sounded mean, but he was glad Hiro was gone. Hiro, on the other hand, raised his eyebrow for a different reason.  
"Uh, who are you?"  
"It's me! Ruby! Can't you recognise me in my human form?! Nall helped me!"  
"Wow, Ruby! You look beautiful!"  
She blushed and smiled. This made Nall growl again but to hide his jealousy, he smiled and welcomed the couple.  
"Hello Lucia, Hiro. What's up?"  
"We have come because the world is in danger once again," Lucia warned.  
He rolled his eyes at his own stupidity. The others walked up to greet Hiro and Lucia while Nall stayed behind.  
"Of course it is, that was a pretty dumb question..." he mumbled.  
"Hey Nall! Thanks for taking care of Ruby for me!" Hiro said.  
Nall looked at him surprised then frowned.  
"What? Are you taking the brat back?" he growled, "she would rather go home with you than stay here with me and the Dragon Kids. I know that for a fact."  
"Huh?"  
"HEY! WHY ARE YOU BEING SUCH A JERK!?" Ruby hollared.  
He made a huffing noise and folded his arms over his chest stubbornly. Ruby walked over to him and looked him in the face. Or at least tried to. He kept turning his head away from her.  
"If you're gonna be a jerk you could at least look me in the eye!" she hissed.  
Nall simply walked out of the room. Ruby growled and walked in the opposite direction. Everyone else stood in silence. Uncomfortable silence, until Hiro cleared his throat.  
"Did I say something wrong?"  
"Yes! Can't you tell? Nall's in love and you're screwing up his groove!" Jean explained.  
"His groove?" Lucia said cluelessly. She shook her head and took a more serious tone, "well, I feel Zophar's presence growing in this world. Nall must put aside his 'groove' and we must hurry to stop him!"  
"You're still as presistant as ever, I see..." Ronfar mumbled.  
Meanwhile, Nall sat in his room, rumaging through his old box of stuff. He needed to be reminded of good, carefree times. His life seemed so complicated these days. Love, kids, saving the world, getting Auras back. He picked up a picture of him and Luna and smiled.  
"Well, Luna, you said I would have adventures again and boy were you right...I still can't believe I got my Aura stolen again. Pretty weak huh? We're gonna go get it back of course. Another adventure...but, I still wish I could go back to the old days...with you and Alex. Why am I so upset about Ruby and Hiro? It's not like I care about her! Do I? I dunno anymore. I wish you were here. You were always so wise. Well, maybe that's because you were Althena. Look at me! I'm talking to a picture! If anyone saw me they'd think I was crazy..." he laughed at himself then sighed, "they just don't know...how I feel."  
Little did he know, Ruby was standing in the doorway. She silently listened to him talk to his picture.  
'I don't think you're crazy...' she thought, 'but I wish I knew how you felt. You're so fickled!'  
Slowly, she walked out and left him to his memories. She walked into the living room/kitchen with the others. Nall emerged from his room a few hours later. He sat at the table without saying a word to anyone. At the time, the only ones there was Hiro and Ruby. Everyone else had left to go to Meribia to go shopping. Hiro and Ruby stared at him contently.  
"Nall..." Hiro said.  
"What?"  
"I didn't mean I was taking Ruby back."  
"Pfft...Like I said, she would be happier with you anyway. So go ahead and take her."  
"Hello!" Ruby screamed, "It's not like I'm not sitting here too ya know!"  
Hiro laughed but Nall just frowned.  
"And Nall, I never said that I would be happier with Hiro!"  
"I'll just go..."  
Hiro laugh and tried to slink away, but Nall unsheathed his sword and stabbed his orange cape into the floor to make him sit back down. He quickly took his seat, afraid of what the angry dragon might do.  
"Don't hurt Hiro just because you're a jealous, jerky, jack-ass!! And you know what! Maybe I will be happier with Hiro because you SUCK!!" Ruby screamed, "you've been a horrible person these past three days and I'm sick of it!! Not everything's about you!! You selfish punk!!"  
"Hmph, I've been called worse. And I already said I don't care if you leave. Go be with your stupid Hiro! But he's a human and time affects him. When he's old and gray and about to die...you'll be back..." Nall hissed.  
Ruby jumped up and slapped Nall. He stumbled back.  
"I've never heard you be so rude to me...you probably DESERVED to have your Aura taken! I'm not helping you get it back either!"  
He stood there shocked, staring at the anger-filled pink haired girl as she walked away from him. Hiro watched, shocked as well. He had never seen Ruby this pissed.  
'I know Ruby likes Nall, and visa versa, so why are they fighting like this?'  
He touched the red mark Ruby left on his cheek and closed his eyes. For a while, he just stayed there, but then, he glanced at Hiro. He took his sword out from Hiro's cape and the floor.  
"When everyone comes back, we have to hurry up and get to the Sapphiren's Cave before Yira does..." he said as he sheathed his sword.  
With that, he left for his room. He picked up the picture of Luna he was talking to before.  
"Well, I've let ya down. I should just go to you all shouldn't I? No...I promised I'd live my life. Damn this acursed eternal life...wait...Luna...this is your fault!"  
Nall growled and threw the picture to the floor, breaking the glass in the frame.  
"I thought you were my friend!! How could you do this to me!!" Nall screamed at the picture, "you promised you'd be there for me and look at all the pain you've caused just because you had to curse me with eternal life! Why?"  
He calmed down and fell to the floor. He picked up the picture, his eyes brimming with tears.  
"Why'd you do this?" he whispered.  
Meanwhile, Hiro was explaining the fight between Ruby and Nall when they heard a crash and screaming. Jean gasped and looked in the direction.  
"Are they still fighting?" she asked.  
"No, Ruby's went another way. Anyway, he said that we should head to the Blue Dragon Cave before that lady gets his Aura too."  
"I'm glad Nall is thinking about the safety of Lunar even while he is fighting about his 'groove'. It is truly responsible of him," Lucia said.  
"Alright, let's go..."  
Everyone turned around and saw Ruby. She walked up to the table and slammed it with her fists.  
"What are you all staring at?! We have to go now or that lady might get the rest of our Dragon Auras!"  
"I'll go get Nall," Lucia said getting up and walking to his room.  
"We'll meet you at the Dragonship Destiny," Hiro said happily.  
Leo chuckled.  
"I haven't seen my old ship in a while. How is she?"  
"Just fine. Still running fine after a year too."  
"Quit talking about the stupid boat!" Lemina yelled, "sheesh, men..."  
Lucia continued her walk toward Nall's room when she heard sobbing. She carefully made her way toward the noise and found Nall.  
"What's wrong?"  
Nall stood up quickly and wiped his eyes, trying to hide the fact he was crying.  
"Nothing...nothing..." he said brushing himself off casually, "is everyone ready to get Sapphiren and Ebony?"  
"Yes, but may I ask you something?"  
"Sure."  
"Why were you and Ruby fighting?" she asked as they left for the Dragonship.  
"...I dunno. I guess it's my fault for being jealous of Hiro..."  
"Why? Was it because he 'screwed up you groove'? That's what Jean says it is."  
Lucia's naivity and cluelessness made him laugh. But the laughter wore off and sadness came back. Lucia stared at him confused.  
"You could say that."  
Lucia stayed behind to take care of the Dragon Kids and Nall joined Hiro and the others on the Dragonship Destiny.  
  
Note: Now that you're done, I would like to, once again, appologize if anyone was out of character. Please review ^_^. 


	5. Blue Dragon Cave

Dragon Quest  
By: BlackLiGurl  
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue  
  
Note: I do not owe you a dollar Justababy...evil cousin...I know it's you!!!  
  
Chapter 5: Blue Dragon Cave  
  
On the Dragonship Destiny, Nall laid on his bunk in his room that he shared with Leo, thinking about the past few hours and his fight with Ruby. He sighed.  
"Ruby said she wouldn't help me get my Aura back. Oh well, I can get it without her help anyway. She's just a girl..."  
He got up and walked into the hall. Leo grabbed some things from the refrigirator and him and Ronfar began to make fish for Ruby and Nall and steak for everyone else.  
"Doesn't this remind you of when we all used to live in Raculi?" Ronfar said  
"Yeah. Those were good times. Remember when Mauri got mad at you for stepping on her flower she worked hard on growing for three months?"  
Ronfar and Leo laughed. Then they spotted Nall walking around, aimlessly. He stopped and sighed.  
"Thanks for the fish Ronfar, but I'm not in the mood to eat right now..."  
'How could he tell? The smells are all mixed together?!' Ronfar thought smiling.  
"Aw co'mon! My fish'll make ya feel better! Just ask Leo!"  
Leo gave Ronfar a funny look, which he returned.  
"What?"  
"Did you put alcohol in it like you did to me when I broke up with Chelsea?"  
"Naw man!" Ronfar said, turning red from embarassment, "although that was funny..."  
"Well, I'll think about it..."  
Nall smirked and moved on. Jean was doing Lemina's nails in Jean, Lemina, and Ruby's room.  
"I can't wait until Lucia joins the Magic Guild!"  
"I thought you quit trying to get Lucia to join..."  
"Yeah but now that she's back, she can join!" Lemina said clapping her hands together.  
"You're crazy!"  
Jean laughed at Lemina, who just started pouting. Nall stood and watched them for awhile as they gave each other a makeover, but decided to leave them alone before they saw him and asked him questions.  
"Hiro, it's great to see you again," Ruby said.  
She sat on Hiro's shoulder in her baby form as he steered the ship, talking about old times. Nall stopped and listened quietly.  
"Even though I caused you and Nall to get into a fight?"  
"I dun wanna talk about it, okay?" Ruby said sadly.  
"I'll respect that..." Hiro mumbled, "remember how we met?"  
Ruby smiled at the memory. She jumped down and transformed into her human form. She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed.  
"When I first met you, you was just a little baby. I was about 300 years old by then. Did you know that?"  
"No, I didn't know that. How come you never told me that?"  
She just shrugged.  
"I found out why I look like a teenager when I transformed instead of a little girl."  
"I was wondering that myself," Hiro said laughing.  
"Because, when I turned into my big dragon, I became an adult mentally and physically. I found it in this book Nall had in a box in his room. It belonged to the great Mia Ausa of Vane! There was a lot of pictures and stuff in there too. There was a cute plushie of him as a baby too!"  
"Wanted to take it and hug it didn't you?"  
"Yeah! Wait...was that a trick question?"  
Just as Nall was about to say something, Hiro stopped the ship and pressed a button, calling to everyone that was below deck to come up. Everyone came to the deck.  
"We're at the Blue Dragon Cave everybody! Let's see if the Blue Dragon is okay."  
"His name's Sapphiren..." Nall said quietly, "I think he would want to be called by his name."  
Hiro nodded. They left the ship and stepped infront of the cave.  
"The girls should stay here and watch Ruby, just incase anyone comes and tries to get her Aura while we're in there," Leo suggested.  
"Good idea, let's go," Ronfar said marching into the cave.  
The boys went in and the girls stayed outside. Inside, there weren't any monsters in the cave. Nall looked around alarmed.  
"That means someone's been here!" he said as he started to run deeper into the cave.  
Hiro, Leo, and Ronfar followed. In Sapphiren's Lair, they saw Yira putting the Blue Dragon Aura in a bag and a boy with long silvery blue hair in a ponytail, wearing a navy blue vest over a sky blue shirt, and navy blue jeans laying on the ground at her feet.  
"Hey!!" Nall hollared, "give me and Sapphiren back our Auras!"  
Yira turned around and smirked.  
"Oh, hello cutie! I don't plan on giving you the Dragon Auras back. I need them for something more important."  
"Let's get her!!" Ronfar announced.  
Ronfar threw his dice at her to confuse her while Hiro and Leo took out their swords and slashed at her. She easily dodged all three attacks. But, when Nall lunged himself at her, he succeeded in tackling her down. Yira just smiled.  
"Shouldn't you be worried about your little girlfriend?"  
"What girl...No! Ruby!"  
He jumped up and ran out and Yira disappeared in a puff of smoke. Leo stayed behind to get Sapphiren and Hiro and Ronfar left the cave to help Nall. Outside, Ruby was pinned down by a man wearing a black robe with long silver hair and a black tattoo under his left eyes. Jean and Lemina were out cold on the ground.  
"Get offa me!" Ruby sqeaked, trying to wriggle out of his grip.  
"Don't worry little dragon...this won't hurt, much..." the man said, his hand hovering over her chest.  
Just as he was about to take her Aura, Nall tackled him off of Ruby. Hiro helped the weakened Ruby up to her feet.  
'Nall saved me...' she thought as she watched him wrestled with the guy in awe, 'even after our fight and what I said to him.'  
Nall grabbed the man by the collar of his cloak and shook him violently.  
"Who are you!!"  
"Not like it matters, but my name's Ryo. Oh, you're the dragon who's Aura we first took. He he he..."  
His laughing made Nall angrier. He tried to punch Ryo in the face but Ryo stabbed Nall in the stomach with his long, sharp, retractable claws and disappeared. Nall slowly got on one knee, holding his stomach and wincing slightly from the sharp pain. He looked at Ruby, who was still gazing at him.  
"Did he hurt you, Ruby?"  
Ruby ran over to Nall and hugged him. He made a grunt, aknowlodging the pain she just caused him.  
"You saved me!!" she said, tears streaming down her face.  
"O-ow..."  
"Nall are you okay?!" Leo asked as he emerged from the cave with Sapphiren on his back.  
"I'll be fine...as soon as Ruby lets me go..."  
"That means you're still mad at me?" Ruby asked quietly.  
Nall chuckled and collasped onto the ground. Ruby kneeled down and put her hand on his wound to stop the bleeding.  
"He's bleeding pretty bad..." Ruby said sadly, "stupid boy..."  
"Come on, we should get Sapphiren, Jean, Lemina, and Nall into the Destiny," Hiro said, "and then we need to hurry to the Black Dragon Cave."  
Hours later, Nall woke up. Everyone else who was out, except Sapphiren, were already awake. He looked down at his wound and saw it bandaged.  
"How do you feel?" Ruby asked sweetly.  
"A lot better. Are you okay? Did he hurt you?"  
She smiled and shook her head. Nall sighed and looked out the window by his bed. They were surfing in the ocean, heading to the Black Dragon Cave.  
"Nall, I'm so sorry for saying all those things. I didn't mean any of them."  
"Hm...I'm sorry too, 'kay? I don't want you to leave me alone..."  
Ruby looked at him confused. He just stared out the window at the Blue Star.  
"What do you mean? You have the Dragon Kids so you'll never be alone!"  
"That's not quite what I meant...so, are you leaving to do some adventuring with Hiro again or something?"  
"No, of course not silly! I was just saying, you'll never be alone."  
Nall sighed and grabbed Ruby's hand gently. She blushed and looked at their intertwined hands.  
"You don't understand, but that's okay. I sorta hope you never do," he said softly.  
He turned his head away from her to look at the Blue Star again. Ruby frowned in bewilderment at his statement.  
"Did you know, that when humans die, their spirit goes to the Blue Star to help it become a better place for us to live..." Nall said smiling, "I'm going there one day, to see my friends."  
"But, I thought we had eternal life. You aren't planning on killing yourself are you?! Where would me and the Dragon Kids go?!"  
"No, I'm not gonna kill myself. I don't know how I'm gonna go, I'm just going to..." he said, sighing sadly, "but then again, they would be spirits and I wouldn't be able to see them, would I?"  
'Nall is really spilling his guts...I wonder what's wrong. He's not himself,' Ruby thought.  
"Nall, why are you telling me all of this?"  
He glanced at her and scratched his nose.  
"I-I dunno..." he said uneasily, "this isn't like me. I just feel like telling you everything and I don't know why..."  
"Aw!"  
Nall whipped his head around to look for the owner of the voice. It was Sapphiren. He stood at the doorway, smirking with his hands behind his back.  
"I don't feel like joking around with y-" Nall yelled.  
He abruptly stopped his sentence, sniffed, and smiled. Sapphiren's smirked faded away and was replaced by a nervous glare. Nall stood up and walked over to him.  
"But...I DO feel like eatting fish! Hand it over!"  
"How do you do that!!"  
"Comes with age now GIMME!!"  
"No! This is my fish! MINE!!"  
Nall pounced and the two male dragons began wrestling over the fish.  
"Nall! You aren't healed all the way! Stop fighting!" Ruby yelled.  
  
Note: I have a question, okay? Can someone PLEASE explain some proof of Jean and Leo? I need to know if I should include it in my next chapter and if so, what to include. It would really help because I didn't see any examples in the game. 


	6. Confessions

Dragon Quest  
By: BlackLiGurl  
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue  
  
Note: Now...this chapter's a little long. Plus, it might be alittle...I dunno...fluffy? The point WAS so couples who weren't already together could confess how they felt about each other so...yeah. Oh, and no one could find any hardcore proof of Leo/Jean so...sorry Leo/Jean fans! Well, go ahead and read...go on! Get now!  
  
Chapter 6: Confessions  
  
They reached the Zaback Mines by nightfall. Nall insisted that they went in to get Ebony, the Black Dragon, right away. So, him and Leo went in (although Ruby said not too), while Ronfar and the girls took care of Sapphiren, who they said was still too weak to fight.  
"Good, the monsters are still here," Leo said, "that means no one has been here yet."  
"Yeah, so let's get Ebony."  
Leo and Nall went through the cave, destroying the monsters. After about 30 minutes, they arrived in Ebony's Lair. They stepped on the platform that would carry them to her. In the corner, there was a small, black and green winged cat-like creature that looked a lot like Ruby. Nall walked over to her and poked her. She woke up and looked at him wearily.  
"Who?"  
"It's me Ebony, Nall."  
She smiled and cheered up.  
"Hello Nall! What brings you here?"  
"I wish I could say it was for a pleasant chat but this is serious," Nall said, "there are these two people trying to get the Dragon Auras. You're in danger. They already got mine and Sapphiren's."  
"Don't worry, there's no need to continue," Ebony said as she flew onto Nall's shoulder.  
'I hope Sapphiren's okay...' she thought.  
Nall, Ebony, and Leo quickly left the Zaback Mines and returned to the Destiny. Ruby walked up to them to check to see if Nall's injury got worse.  
"See? I'm fine," Nall bragged, "I told you I'd be fine!"  
"Hmph! That's not what this says!" she said pointing to a bleeding scratch on his cheek.  
"What? That's a just scratch!"  
"So?! You still got hurt even if it isn't serious!"  
As Nall and Ruby argued, Ebony jumped down from his shoulder and changed into a human. She had short black hair whose bangs covered her left eye. She was wearing a black trench coat over a dark green dress with black, lacey ruffles at the top and bottom. Ebony walked over to Sapphiren and hugged him. He looked down at her and smiled.  
"I haven't seen you in a while!" he said hugging her back.  
"Nall told me you had your Aura taken...are you okay?" Ebony asked as she laid her head on his chest.  
"I'm fine...I tried to tell them that Nall was tired longer because he's an old man! Ha!"  
Nall turned from his fight with Ruby, glared at Sapphiren, and pounced on him. Ebony stepped back as Sapphiren made a squeal of fright as he was knocked to the ground.  
"I'm not an old man, little boy!!" Nall yelled.  
"WAH! SORRY SIR!!"  
"Nall! He's still weary! You shouldn't be fighting him!!" Ruby screamed, "LISTEN TO ME!!!"  
Ruby grabbed Nall and started cussing him out about ignoring her but then they ended up wrestling. Lemina giggled.  
"It's like a 'Dragon-Love Free-for-All'," Lemina said laughing.  
"I'm just glad that Ruby and Nall aren't mad at each other any more," Leo said as he smiled at the screaming couple, "now it's just their normal arguements."  
"Ow! Ruby you hurt me!" Nall whimpered.  
He held his stomach and glared at Ruby. She gasped and backed up.  
"Oh! I'm sorry I didn't..."  
Just as Ruby appologized, he jumped her and pinned her down.  
"HEY!"  
"I lied! M'WAHAHAHAHA!!"  
"Nall...uh..."  
"Huh?"  
Nall noticed their position, blushed, and quickly got off of Ruby. He laughed nervously and scratched the back of his neck neck. She stood up, blushing as she brushed herself off.  
"Sorry, that was an accident. Honest."  
"Yeah, yeah...I know..."  
Everyone busted out laughing. Nall glared at them.  
"What's so funny?"  
"Accident...sure..." Ronfar said, stifling laughter.  
"Grr..."  
"Nall's a dirty old man!" Sapphiren laughed loudly.  
"GRR!!"  
Once again, Nall tackled him and began to beat him up.  
"WAAAH!!"  
"Well...while you all fight, I'll steer the ship to Taben's Peak. There, we can figure out a way to get Nall and Sapphiren's Auras back," Hiro said, "but let me know who wins!"  
Hiro walked to the deck and began toward the evil castle turned orphanage. After Nall beat the crap out of Sapphiren, Lemina yawned.  
"I'm getting mega-tired so I'll just go to my room..."  
"Yeah, gettin' beat up makes me tired too..." Sapphiren said, "not to mention, I'm still not fully recovered from losing my Aura."  
Everyone agreed and said goodnight to everyone and retreated to their rooms. The pairs in the rooms were Leo and Nall, Ronfar and Sapphiren, Ruby and Jean, Lemina and Ebony. Hiro would sleep by himself during his break from steering, when Leo took over for a while. In Ruby and Jean's room, Ruby laid down, watching the ceiling and listening to Jean snore.  
'I can't sleep...' Ruby thought to herself, 'who ever thought a girl as beautiful as Jean snored so freaking loud...'  
So, she got up and walked up to a part of the deck where Hiro couldn't see or hear her. Suddenly, she heard a slow, haunting tune being sung from below deck. The low music came closer and closer. Soon, Nall came up to the part where Ruby was, but he didn't seem to notice her. Ruby carefully walked over to him as he leaned against the wall of the ship and folded his arms over his chest, singing the slow tune softly and gazing up at sky. His eyes were distant, like his mind was somewhere in the stars.  
"I didn't know you sung..."  
Nall looked at Ruby surprised and startled with a hint of embarassment and anger.  
"I didn't know you were there! Don't do that!" he yelled.  
"Shh...you'll wake everyone up!" Ruby said quietly.  
He gave her a look then averted his gaze back to the blue orb in the sky. Ruby stared at him for awhile then scratching her head in thought.  
"What was that song you were singing?"  
"It was a song Luna and Alex wrote together. They called it Goddess Althena's Theme, I think. It's been a while. Luna sung and Alex played the music. It used to always calm me down when I was younger so now I sing it to calm me down," Nall said quietly looking at the orcarina. He chuckled, "not that I think I can sing though! I would play this thing but I don't know how."  
"What do you need to be calm about?"  
"A lot of things...like how I'm going to keep you from losing your Aura..."  
"In other words, you're worried about how you're going to protect me..."  
"I-I guess you could say that. But that's not the only thing. I'm worried that I might not get me and Sapphiren's Aura back. And not to mention, I've been trying to figure out what they plan on doing with our Auras. I'm worried my irresponsiblilty may lead to Lunar's destruction..." Nall started rambling, "and I'm worried about...well, the rest isn't your business really..."  
Ruby sighed and laid her head on his shoulder. He turned a light shade of pink, feeling her warm breath on his skin.  
"You're so sensitive...when you wanna be..."  
"What? Where'd that-"  
"And nice..."  
"Huh?"  
She breathed deeply and hugged his arm. Nall looked at her, puzzled.  
"Can I tell you something?"  
"Uh, sure."  
"Promise not to laugh okay?"  
"Okay."  
"Alright...Nall...I think I'm in love," she said nervously.  
He felt her recoil, awaiting his conviction. But he just patted her on her head and sighed.  
"That's a good thing...why would I laugh at something like that?" he said nicely.  
'Is she telling me she loves Hiro? Why would she tell me that? She already knows that I hate that she thinks that way 'cause I don't want her hurt. So why is she telling me this? Girls are so weird!' he thought.  
"But you know that if it's Hiro, you'll get your heart broken very badly when he dies...maybe before then."  
Ruby turned so she was facing Nall. He made a short "hum" of confusion as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She put her hands on his shoulders, pulled him down to her level, and put her lips on his. Nall blinked and turned scarlet, as she broke the kiss and looked away from him. She too, was blushing.  
"Wha?"  
"I think I'm in love with you..." she whispered.  
"Oh..."  
Tears streamed down her face and she started crying. Nall frowned.  
"Why are you crying?"  
"Because I know you don't feel the same way...I hate it!"  
"I never said that I didn't, actually," Nall said matter-of- factually, "stop putting words in my mouth."  
"So do you?"  
"Do I what?"  
"Don't play stupid, fool! Do you feel the same way!?" Ruby yelled.  
"Oh...I suppose so..." Nall said, "yeah...I love you too..."  
Ruby smiled and threw her arms around his neck, making Nall stumble and fall back. They laid there for a moment before they got up. Nall laid back against the wall again while Ruby sat beside him, leaning against him.  
"Thank you..." Nall said as he closed his eyes.  
"For what?"  
"For assuring me know I'll never be lonely again..."  
She kissed him on the cheek and put her head on his chest. Nall, without hesistation, put his arms around her waist in a warm, gentle embrace and laid his head on hers.  
'I'm sorry Luna. Thank you too.'  
They remained there and fell asleep. Yira appeared at looked the two dragons sleep. She glared at them.  
"I should take you're Aura right now you little hellcat...but I'll wait until it would hurt more..."  
She sighed.  
"When will someone love me?"  
Yira turned around and smirked. She looked over her at the sleeping couple before she disappeared.  
Meanwhile, Ebony slowly walked into Sapphiren and Ronfar's room. She looked at Ronfar for a bit, listening to his random mumbles about Mauri, then turned to Sapphiren. He was sleeping peacefully.  
"It's been a while Sapphiren," she whispered, "I wonder when you're going to tell me how you feel. I know you know how I feel...then again, you aren't that bright. Hm hm...Well, I'll just tell you while you're sleep...I love you and I hope you feel the same way."  
She sighed, took his hand, and rubbed it.  
"You're so cute and adorable! And you always know how to make me laugh..."  
On que, he snorted and started clawing the air with his free hand. Ebony sweatdropped and patted his hand as he growled in his sleep.  
"What the...?" she said looking at him confused. Then she snickered, "oh well. Good night my crazy sweetheart."  
She got up and left him to his crazy night terrors.  
  
Note: Aw...night terrors. Anyway, review and tell me what you think. Constructive critism welcome ^_^. Flames, not welcome. 


	7. Return to Taben's Peak

Dragon Quest  
By: BlackLiGurl  
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue  
  
Note: Last chapter was long...this chapter's a little short. This is sort of a...I dunno...regrouping chapter. You know, to get y'all back on track with the fact they have to get the Auras. The mystery of Yira and Ryo will be revealed later...but not in this chapter! Ha ha! I'm not particularly proud of this chapter because I wrote it while I was sleepy (I have to learn how to write when I'm awake...)  
  
Chapter 7: Return to Taben's Peak  
  
"Hey, hey, hey! What were y'all doing, 'ey..."  
Nall opened his eyes to find everyone else hovering over them with wide smiles on their faces.  
"I have to wonder the same thing as Ronfar," Jean said smirking.  
"Sleeping..." Nall said.  
He yawned and roughly pushed Ruby off of him, who fell on the floor and kept sleeping. Lemina pointed at them, snickering.  
"Your shirt's off...her clothes are ruffled..."  
"Whaddaya want?" he complained, completely ignoring her.  
"We're at Taben's Peak," Hiro said, "and what were you two doing?"  
"Oh, okay," he said, ignoring Hiro's last comment.  
Nall walked down to his room wearily to put his shirt and jacket on. When he came back up, he glared at the group, who was still whispering and giggling amongst themselves.  
"You all have very dirty minds! We didn't do anything!"  
He walked over to Ruby and kicked her lightly in the shoulder to wake her up.  
"Wake up..."  
She sat up and looked around dazed.  
"Come to me fishy..."  
Ruby chomped down on his leg, making him wince. He helped the still sleepy girl up, and headed towards Taben's Peak. The group followed at a slower pace so they could still giggle and talk about the couple.  
"I don't think they were REALLY doing anything..." Ebony mumbled, "we just found them sleeping...and it's not like we actually saw them do...anything."  
"It's still fun to tease them," Hiro said.  
"It's easy to see that they love each other...but when are THEY going to see it?"  
Finally, she came to her senses.  
"Hey Nall, what's going on?" she yawned.  
"So we can get away from those dirty-minded friends of ours and hurry up and see the kids."  
"I can walk myself!!"  
Nall stopped to let her go and then kept moving. Soon, they arrived at the gondola and used it to ride to the top.  
"Hey kids!!"  
"Nall! Yay!"  
All of the kids ran over to greet Nall and Ruby. Nall looked around but Lucia was no where to be found. He eyed the kids suspiciously.  
"Where's Lucia?"  
"Well..." they all said in unison.  
"You played Cowboys and Indians with her didn't you?" Nall said.  
"What's Cowboys and Indians?" Ronfar asked.  
"It's when they tie somebody up and shoot fake arrows at them...their victim used to be Ruby..."  
She shivered.  
"Those brats are evil..."  
Hiro gasped and ran around, screaming Lucia's name.  
"Where'd you all put Miss Lucia?"  
"She's in the dungeon..."  
Nall looked at Hiro as he ran downstairs to the dungeon. Lucia was asleep, tied to a chair with fake arrows on her head and gagged with a hankerchief. He untied her ropes and hankerchief and woke her up.  
"Hello Hiro. Remind me never to play this 'Owboys and Indias' again..."  
"Cowboy and Indians..."  
He led her back upstairs to join the others. They were sitting at the usual table so Hiro and Lucia sat down as well.  
"Well, why do you think those two people are after our Auras?" Sapphiren asked, laying his chin on his hand.  
"The life-energy from all four of the Dragon Auras is probably enough to resurrect Zophar...so that's what they are probably doing," Lucia said.  
"Something else to worry me about..."  
"You worry too much old man!"  
"Don't start..."  
Sapphiren laughed. Lucia glared at Sapphiren with her cold blue eyes, making him shut up immediately.  
"This is very important. The Blue Star is not ready for humans to inhabit so if Zophar destroys Lunar, you'll all perish!"  
"Hm..."  
"What are you mumbling about Nall?" Ruby said abruptly.  
"Nothing important," he said, "Lucia, when humans die, do their spirits go to the Blue Star to help it recover?"  
Lucia looked at Nall confused.  
"Well, I don't know really."  
Nall sighed and looked down at the table. Ruby poked him.  
"What's wrong?"  
"Nothing...so how are we going to get our Auras back if don't know where Yira and Ryo are?"  
'Something's bugging him again...and he just changed the subject so fast...'  
"That's true..." Leo said.  
"Man! This is mega-hard!" Lemina yelled, "my head hurts from thinking too much!"  
"Don't think your pretty little head off then..." Ronfar said calmly, "maybe we can put a tracking device on them."  
Ruby whacked Ronfar on the head with a paper fan. He frowned and looked at her.  
"What was that for?"  
"Where would we get a tracking device from!?!"  
"That's it! We could put a tracking spell on them!" Lemina exclaimed.  
Ronfar gave Ruby a bragging smirk.  
"Unfortunately, I don't know one..." she said, "I've heard of one during my classes, but no one knows the actual spell. Only one magician in history ever knew how to use it and she's gone."  
Ruby grinned at Ronfar, who started pouting. Nall smiled.  
"I think...I know who that magician is..."  
He got up and went to get Mia's book. As he picked it up, he remembered Mia's smile. He looked at it for a while then back at the other things in the box. He picked up his plushie, put it in his inner coat pocket, and walked back into the room. He set the book on the table gently and flipped through the pages.  
"What's that?" Leo asked.  
"It's a big book of spells. My friend Mia wrote it."  
"You mean the Great Leader of Vane Mia Ausa?!" Lemina asked, "that's mega-cool! That's the magician I was talking about!"  
"Yeah, I know," Nall said sheepishly, "she was great..."  
He blushed, shook his head, and continued his search through the book. Ruby noticed this and tugged Nall's coat.  
"Yes?"  
"Why did you just...turn red?" Ruby said, with a hint of jealousy.  
"I did?"  
"Yes! Now tell me why!"  
"Well, I had a crush on her when I was little and I remembered something that had happened. Why? Jealous?" he said smirking.  
"O-of course not!"  
"What happened?" Ronfar said, getting nosy.  
"Now's not the ti-"  
"Yeah, Nall what happened?" Sapphiren said as he cut Lucia off.  
"But we have to-"  
"Shh Lucia, I wanna hear this!" Ruby yelled.  
Lucia frowned and walked over to Hiro, who took her in his arms.  
"They won't listen to me..."  
"It's okay. I wanna hear this too..."  
"I saw her changing one time and got beat up by Nash...her wannabe boyfriend at the time and another one of my old friends. He didn't really like the fact I was always hanging around her in the first place and that just pulled his last string. Of course, he didn't hurt me too bad 'cause I was his friend, but let me had been someone else I wouldn't be here today!"  
He closed his eyes and chuckled.  
"Was she that pretty?"  
"Yeah...now shhh..." he said leaning his chair back, "I gotta think..."  
Ruby growled and tugged his coat again. She glared at him as he raised his eyebrows, acknowledging her.  
"What are you thinking about?!"  
"Mia...changing..." he said quietly.  
"Eh!"  
Nall looked at Ruby and laughed. She was turning red from anger.  
"I was joking. And don't worry, I didn't see much," he laughed, "plus, I don't feel the same about her now as I did then. What has it been, several hundred years since I've last seen her? I barely remember how she looks. So don't turn red...or should I say green."  
Ruby pushed him making his chair fall. He got up and smiled at her as he put the chair up.  
"Well...you ARE jealous..."  
"I'll let that go..."  
"We do not have time to play around!" Lucia yelled.  
He glanced at Lucia, nodded in agreement, and continued to flip through the pages. He stopped and pointed to a part on the page.  
"Ah, here we go! A spell for tracking. Think you can do it Lemina?"  
She looked at the spell and smiled.  
"You bet!"  
"Good, 'cause I just thought of a plan!"  
  
Note: Dun dun dun!!! What could possible be his plan? Read and review. If I'm satisfied with the number of reviews I get, I'll update. But, like I said before, let's see some stories about Nall! 


	8. Backfired Plan

Dragon Quest  
By: BlackLiGurl  
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue  
  
Note: If you thought Chapter 6 was long, wait 'til ya get aload of THIS one. I'm glad I wrote this BEFORE I got my evil writers block or it would have taken a lot longer for this story to have been updated! Enjoy, this chapter is a little...I dunno. Oh yeah! You find out the mystery of Yira and Ryo.  
  
Chapter 8: Backfired Plan  
  
Hours later, they were in the Magic Guild Mansion. Everyone surrounded Nall to wait for directions.  
"Alright, lets take our places!" Nall said, "Ruby's the bait. Me, Hiro, Ronfar, and Jean are going with her to make sure her Aura isn't taken. Lemina will come to place the tracking spell on them. Everyone else will go to the basement to protect Ebony and make sure no one goes down there. If someone does, send Lucia to come get us. Everyone okay with that?"  
Ruby sighed and went to the roof with Nall, Hiro, Lemina, Ronfar, and Jean. Leo, Lucia, Sapphiren, and Ebony went into the basement.  
"Nall, I'm nervous, what if you and everyone else don't make it in time?" she said nervously.  
"I..."  
He glared at the door to the downstairs, which was where everyone else was hiding in already. They were listening to their conversation.  
"Hold on," he said walking over to the door.  
Nall put his sword in the door's handles so the doors couldn't open. He smirked as he heard them yell and scream and try to open the door.  
"Humans are so predictable. I knew they'd make too much noise to even hear what was going on," He snickered. The he looked at Ruby and shrugged, "I wanted privacy."  
He glanced around nervously and leaned in to kiss Ruby. However, Nall accidentally kissed her on her nose. He growled and turned red, embarassed.  
"I've never kissed anyone before..."  
"That's okay, you'll learn!"  
"Except for that one time when I kissed Mia..."  
"Don't start..."  
"Anyway, the main point is that I want you to know that I will always protect you, no matter what, so you have nothing to worry about, okay? I promise."  
"Thank you..." Ruby whispered, "I hope this works...for you and Sapphiren's sake...but why me?"  
"We voted on you because you have a big mouth. If you scream the whole world'll here you!"  
"Hey!"  
"And I voted for you because I love you and my will to save you is greater. It's like a guarantee that you'll be safe. Of course, I still would have tried to save Ebony, but my anger is sorta my strength, ya know?" he said, "but remember, if you get nervous, just hum Althena's Theme. It'll soothe you and stuff."  
Nall gave her a hug and walked toward the door.  
"I DID kiss Mia you know..." he said looking back at Ruby with a smug look, "but I was a baby...she only thought of me as her adorable little brother that just happened to look like a cat."  
She laughed as he took the sword out of the handles and went inside. They let Lemina go out to the roof and put up an invisiblity spell so she could hide and left the door cracked so they could see. Ruby began to hum Althena's Theme, to calm her nerves. He watched Ruby carefully and just listened to Ruby's humming, which turned into singing.  
'Wow, Ruby sings almost as well as Luna and Lucia,' Nall thought, 'well, she is Luna's creation and it's only natural that Luna's creation can sing almost as good as her.'  
They sat for a while, waiting for Yira and Ryo to come. However, no one came.  
"Are you sure they're coming?" Jean whispered.  
"Yeah, they wouldn't pass up a chance like this, even if it does seem like a trap..."  
Just then, Ryo appeared behind Ruby. Everyone turned their attention to the roof. Nall got into a pouncing position, ready to get him at any time.  
"What a pretty song, little Dragon..."  
Ruby stopped singing and turned around. She frowned and stood her ground.  
"Quit calling me that!" Ruby screamed, "Just because I'm the youngest doesn't mean I'm little!"  
Ryo chuckled as his retractable claws lengthen. Ruby blinked and started looking around nervously.  
'Hurry Lemina...'  
"We have to help her!" Nall hissed.  
"No Nall! We have to let Lemina put the spell on him!" Hiro whispered, grabbing Nall's arm.  
Lemina was slowly walking toward Ryo, trying not to make a sound. She took out her wand and waved it over Ryo's head, casting the spell. The sparkles above his head was a dead giveaway that she had casted the spell. Ryo looked up and swung his claws blindly at Lemina. He cut Lemina's face as she fell back and dropped her wand. The blood from her cut made her presence known. Ryo growled and started to try and stab at the ground near the floating blood. Lemina screamed as his sharp claws narrowly missed her and tore pieces of her robe. Ruby tried to slink away, since she was helpless as a human, but Yira appeared and grabbed her by her arms.  
"Hey! Let me go, you slut!" Ruby yelled.  
"I'm not a slut! For that, I'll be sure that when I take your Aura, you'll be in a world of pain!"  
She writhed in the woman's grip. Yira just laughed.  
"That cutie is too good for you! You can't even protect yourself! You're just a burden on him!" Yira whispered in her ear, "you don't deserve him...he deserves to be with a real woman...you scrawny little runt!"  
Ruby stopped wiggling and looked down, making Yira smile.  
'She's right...I AM a burden...' she thought sadly.  
Nall growled and jumped up, sending Hiro falling down the stairs.  
"Come on!"  
As Nall, Hiro, Jean, and Ronfar came out from their hiding spaces, Lemina despelled the invisibility spell, revealing herself and her tattered clothes. The dress below her waist was shredded, showing her legs and the sleeve part of it was torn off, leaving only the other sleeve to keep it on her. Her robe was literally hanging on by a thread. Ronfar whistled at her.  
"I didn't know you had such a great body!"  
"Shut up prevert!" Lemina yelled, "aren't you supposed to be married!"  
"Yeah...I am!"  
"Now's not the time to joke around!"  
Nall glared at Ryo.  
"Well, well, well...we meet again!"  
"Give up your mission and give the Auras back!"  
"You know," Ryo said, "you don't really threaten me. Your powerless! All you can do is physical combat and I will definately overpower you!"  
"Well let's see about that!" Nall said unsheathing his sword, "y'all get Yira...I'll take care of this bastard right here."  
As Hiro charged toward Yira with his sword, Jean held him back.  
"Hiro, this calls for strategy. She has Ruby so if you just charge in, she'll probably use her as a shield and you might wind up hurting Ruby instead," Jean whispered.  
"What do we do then?" Ronfar said.  
"Be careful when we strike?" Lemina said shrugging.  
"That's crazy but I can't think of anything else..."  
They walked over to Yira and Ruby carefully.  
"One more step and I'll kill her!"  
They couldn't do anything but stop. Ruby stared at a ground, thinking of a way to get out of her grip.  
'Wait, if I turn into my bigger form, she won't be able to hold me!'  
She closed her eyes and began to glow a bright red light. Yira looked at her confused.  
"What's going on!"  
Ruby changed into the elegant Red Dragon. She whipped her tail at Yira, causing her to fly into a nearby wall. Just as she was about to torch the evil woman, Lemina screamed.  
"No! The mansion's messed up enough! Don't burn it down too!" she yelled, "and turn back into your human form before you put another hole in the roof! I just got it fixed!"  
With a frown, she turned back into her human form. Meanwhile, Nall was fighting Ryo, his sword against Ryo's sharp claws.  
"When I'm through with you, I'll rip those claws from your fingers one by one!" Nall growled as he slashed at Ryo.  
Ryo attempted to dodge Nall's attack, but he succeeded in cutting Ryo's arm. He touched his wound and began laughing.  
"What's so funny?"  
"You see, while you only have a sword, I have magic."  
He raised his good arm and fired a blast of ice at Nall. Nall quickly used his sword to deflect the energy away from him. Ryo growled.  
"This sword...was my friend Kyle's...it was blessed with Althena's magic. It can reflect anything you can throw at me!" Nall bragged.  
"Ryo, forget him," Yira said as she got up and stumbled over to him, "you know what we need."  
He raised an eyebrow at her then smirked.  
"Yes, you're right...."  
Ryo turned to Ruby, who had just turned back into her human form, and began mumbling some inaudiable words. Nall was about to run over to him when Yira grabbed his arm.  
"Come on cutie. Why do you love that little brat, when you could have me?"  
Nall scoffed and pushed her away. By that time, a giant ball of dark matter had materialized in his hand.  
"You're coming with us little Dragon!"  
Ruby turned around and froze with fright as the energy ball barreled toward her.  
'I won't let them take her,' Nall thought as he ran toward her, 'not just because I have to save the world...but because I have to save her too!'  
He got to her and threw her out of the way, just to be caught in a solid forcefield himself. The forcefield surrounded and trapped him inside the bubble-like area. Ruby tumbled onto the floor and looked up at the ball. He frowned and punched the forcefield, trying to break it.  
"Nall! What do you think you were doing!!" Ruby screamed, "you IDIOT!"  
He stopped, looked at her, and smiled sadly. She got up and stared at him, her eyes becoming glassy as she tried to hold back her tears.  
"Are you saying it's idiotic to love you? That's why I saved you."  
"Oh Nall..."  
"If you never see me again, at least you'll have a something to remind you of me..."  
The bubble disappeared with Nall in it. Ryo growled and punched the ground.  
"We got the wrong one! Why is he always in our way!?"  
"Well I don't mind. He'll be fun to play with!"  
They both disappeared as well. Ruby stared at where the bubble was as tears trickled down her face. Suddenly, she noticed something was in her hand. She looked down and saw Nall's plushie of him in his baby form.  
"When he threw me...he must have put this in my hand..."  
Ruby curled up and hugged the stuffed animal, sobbing madly. Hiro went over to her and laid a hand on her shoulder.  
"Go away!" she roared, slapping his hand away.  
"We'll find a way to get him back, Ruby..." Hiro mumbled, kneeling down to her level.  
"I said go away!!"  
She pushed him, making him fall on his butt. Hiro scratched his head confused.  
"I was stupid! So stupid! If I had moved out of the way..."  
"When people are scared...they freeze, it's a natural thing Red..." Ronfar said, "...it wasn't your fault..."  
She jumped up and wrapped her arms around Ronfar's neck, sobbing into his chest.  
"Ronfar! I'm a burden!"  
"Hey, what's up with that?" Hiro mumbled.  
Ronfar looked at Hiro and shrugged. Hiro sighed and made an embracing motion with his hands, signalling for him to hug her back. Ronfar looked down at the crying girl and slowly patted her on the back.  
"Look Red...you can cry on me just don't blow your nose on me. I have a napkin if you want...blow your nose on that, okay?"  
Ruby giggled and punched Ronfar lightly. Lemina and Jean each put a hand on Ruby's shoulder.  
"Ruby, the tracking spell was mega-successful!" Lemina said cheerfully, "so we'll be getting your sweetheart back in no time at all!"  
"Yeah, so lets go back in the mansion and figure out how this spell actually works," Jean said.  
Ruby dried her tears and smiled at the plushie. Hiro walked over and hugged her tight.  
"I know how you feel. But don't worry. Nall's strong. Stronger than all of us. He'll be okay," he said, stroking her hair, "but he'll need you to be strong too..."  
"Yeah! And it's not like he's dead or anything! Nall's saved me so many times, now it's my turn to save him!" Ruby said, her voice cracking as she tried to be happy.  
"There's the Ruby I know!"  
"This is crazy!" Ryo screamed.  
At their castle which floated in the sky like Vane once majestically did, except more foreboding, Ryo slammed his fists into the wall. Nall was chained to a wall, unconscious.  
"Think about it this way," Yira hissed as she filed her nails, "they will come looking for us and they're bound to bring the Red and Black Dragons with them. Not to mention, we could have him on our side..."  
She smirked and looked at him as he slept, his eyebrows twitching every now and then.  
"If he's good for nothing else...he would be a good ally..." Ryo said.  
"I can handle that for you."  
Ryo and Yira got down on their knees immediately after hearing Zophar's voice.  
"Lord Zophar, please bring this Dragon of Althena on our side with your darkness," Yira said looking up.  
"Consider it done sweet Yira. Although it will be difficult because he is directly from Althena's holy magic. However...there is nothing the Lord of Darkness cannot do..."  
Yira and Ryo nodded and left the room. She frowned.  
"I wish he wouldn't call me 'sweet'..." she mumbled, "...it's disturbing..."  
"Well Yira, Lord Zophar's our ticket to ruling the Green world..."  
"All I ever wanted was love...I don't want the whole stinking world..."  
Ryo sighed and hugged her.  
"You know I love you..."  
"What? You!? You're my brother, you idiot, of course you love me!" Yira said pushing him away, "I'm talking about the love between a man and a woman..."  
"Like the Red and White Dragons?" he asked, "you're jealous of the Red Dragon because you're lusting after that damn White Dragon..."  
"I want that Red Dragon to feel all the pain in the world...and when Lord Zophar turns the White Dragon against them, she'll kill herself from despair and that cutie will be all mine!" she schemed.  
"He's not even of the Vile Tribe!"  
"I don't care! He's sexy..."  
"He's a monster! He's of ALTHENA!!" he yelled, "why would you have lust for some creature made by Althena? That's not even his real form!"  
Yira growled and walked away from him. Ryo shook his head in disgust.  
Meanwhile, Nall had began to stir and awaken.  
"Wha? What's going on?"  
"Hello, White Dragon of Althena...welcome to the darkness!!"  
Nall jumped up and looked around. He growled and pulled at the chains holding him back. All he heard was Zophar's malevolent laughter as the room became pitch black.  
"If you struggle, you'll tire yourself before I can take control of you're mind," Zophar said, "so don't bother trying."  
"You'll never control me, you sadistic bastard!"  
"Ha ha ha...sticks and stones my foe...and I'll raise your bet on that controlling..."  
The darkness of the room wrapped around Nall like it had a mind of his own. When he breathed in the shadows, he began to get tired. Slowly, he began to weaken and soon stopped pulling at his chains. He fell to his knees and shook as he tried to remain conscious.  
"You'll...never..."  
He gave into the overwhelming shadows and collasped on the floor, falling into a deep sleep. The room returned to it's normal tint as Ryo and Yira came back in.  
"So what now, Lord Zophar?"  
"When he awakens, which will take a while since I had to use my strongest magic, he will be on your side. Have fun but remember your mission!!"  
"Yes Lord Zophar," Ryo and Yira said in unison.  
They felt Zophar's presence leave the room. Yira sqeauled in delight and ran over to her "prize". She hugged Nall's limp body, making Ryo snarl.  
"Yira stop, that's disgusting..."  
  
Note: Hm...yeah...I'm not very proud of this chapter because I was kinda sleepy when I wrote it and my vocabulary isn't very vast incase you haven't noticed. But, it doesn't matter what I think! What matters is what YOU think! My wonderful, magnificent readers!! Please tell me if you think I did good with this chapter....I really wanna know. Be gentle though ^_~ 


	9. Betrayal

Dragon Quest  
By: BlackLiGurl  
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue  
  
Note: Okay...writer's block terminated...I'm back! Anyway, in this note for this chapter, I'll answer some questions and comments I got on my reviews.  
  
~To malu: Ruby didn't fight much last chapter because she doesn't know how to use her fire magic in her human form yet. If you haven't noticed, Nall never really got a chance to show her because as soon as she got her human form, Nall was attacked by Yira. Not to mention, Ruby's fire attacks in her Dragon form are a bit too destructive for her to use without burning down the building they're usually in. But, she'll fight more in this chapter, don't worry. And, Nall gave Hiro Althena's sword as a way to show Hiro that he has his blessings as a friend (and to help Hiro get Lucia). Nall can use swords, even though he's a Dragon. His profile in the Lunar 2: Eternal Blue manual says that he has excellent fighting skills, so I suspect that he uses the sword on his back.  
  
~To Taiga: Ruby sorta has an emotional breakdown but then again...not really  
  
~To Story_Weaver1: Don't worry, Yira didn't do anything TOO nasty...unless you want to imagine that...o_O  
  
~To JoJo10: I know of good Nall stories but I can't remember them right now. They should be in my favorite story section so check there.  
  
Chapter 9: Betrayal  
  
Weeks had gone by and Lemina still couldn't figure out what to do to make the spell actually track Ryo down. Ruby was beginning to lose hope. She stayed in her room, not coming out for days at a time. Hiro and Lucia visited daily, trying to make not only Ruby feel better, but the Dragon Kids too. They were just as worried about Nall as Ruby was. The kids were crying more than when the Shadow Dragon Cult had kidnapped some of them approximately a year earlier. Ruby usually stayed in her baby form, cuddling the Nall plushie he had given her the day he was captured. Ruby couldn't understand how the doll could still be intact after 1000 years, not to mention the 200 years he spent wandering around with the box. It still looked like it was in mint condition, and still looked exactly like him. Matter of fact, it reminded her so much of him, she just had to keep it near. His friend Jessica, the one who Nall says made the stuffed toy in the first place, did a great job. Maybe too great. One night, while everyone was looking through Mia's book, Ruby finally emerged from her room. Lemina growled and slapped herself on the head as the little pink cat flew in carrying Nall's little plushie and sat on the table along with Ebony and Sapphiren, who also were in their baby forms to conserve energy.  
"Any luck?" she asked sadly.  
"I'm sorry Ruby..." Jean said.  
She sighed sadly and slouched, tears running down her face.  
"I can't help but to think this is all my fault."  
"It's not. How many times do we have to go through this?" Ronfar asked, sounding a bit harsh.  
Ruby looked up at him then whimpered sadly, looking at the Nall plushie. Ronfar blinked and scratched his head as Hiro and Jean gave him angry glares. Lemina shook her wand furiously, ignoring her surroundings and their conversation.  
"The only thing I know is that the wand I used to cast the spell is glowing...very dimly...but glowing!"  
"Wait a second! Lemina, you never told us that your wand was glowing!" Ebony said.  
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean? I just thought it meant I needed a new wand..." Lemina mumbled looking at her wand.  
"Point it around a few times..."  
Lemina shrugged and did what Ebony said. She stopped when the wand was pointed northwest and the jewel began to glow a tad bit brighter. Her face lit up with joy.  
"Yay! I figured it out!"  
"You?" Sapphiren asked suspiciously, "I coulda swore it was Ebony over here...that noticed the glowing of your wand was how you used the tracking spell."  
"That was rather simple Lemina..." Lucia said.  
"Well...I thought it was more complicated than point the wand and follow the glow!" Lemina laughed.  
Ruby growled and balled up her little paws as they joked about Lemina not being able to figure out something so simple. Finally, she snapped and shot a giant blast of fire at Lemina. Luckily, Ruby's fire only singed her hair and put soot on her face. Ruby hadn't turned up the heat as much as she could have. Everyone shut up and looked at Lemina, who had froze in shock from the sudden attack. Her widened eyes stared straight ahead, as if she was afraid to look down at Ruby.  
"Lemina! Why couldn't you figure that out sooner!!" Ruby screamed, "WE COULD'VE BEEN SAVED NALL IF YOU WEREN'T ACTING LIKE SUCH A FUCKIN' DITZ!!"  
Slowly, the party turned their gaze to the angered kitty-looking creature. She looked at them, her teary eyes filled with a fire fueled by her rage toward her not-so-blonde-anymore friend.  
"We have to save Nall! And I'll take that damn wand and go by myself if I have to! By now, they could have done horrible things to him!! They could be hurting him! They might even have done worst! The worst could have happened..."  
"Ruby I'm-" Lemina mumbled.  
"And if it did...if it did..." Ruby hissed, clutching the plushie. She suddenly roared, "I SWEAR TO ALTHENA I'LL KILL YOU, LEMINA!!"  
"I-I..."  
They were all stunned by what Ruby said. Her fur was standing on edge and her teeth were bared, making her look like a very menacing kitten. Although she was still very small at the moment, they were actually afraid of her.  
'Killing someone isn't in Ruby's character...but she hasn't been herself lately. Would she go through with it?' Hiro thought, staring at his childhood friend.  
'A dragon can't kill a human! It would throw the world off balance!' Ebony thought, horrified with her paws over her mouth.  
'If she did kill Lemina...would she do it in a very slow and painful way...or quick and painless? Hm...Ruby's pretty mad so I probably shouldn't ask her...' Sapphiren thought, blowing bubbles to keep himself amused and his mind off of what was happening, 'She might hurt me...I hope she doesn't though...but, who knows...'  
"W-we're just trying to lighten the mood, Red," Ronfar said, "w-we didn't mean for you to think we weren't serious about saving Nall..."  
"B-because we are..." Leo continued.  
Ruby sighed and let go of the plushie.  
"I shouldn't have said that. Lemina, I'm so sorry. I won't kill you. I'm happy we learned how to work the spell. I'm still a little worried, that's all..."  
She sighed and flew to the playground. She was glad the kids were fast asleep because she didn't want to worry them. She morphed into her human form and sat on the swings.  
'Almost a month ago...me and you were sitting here and I was sad about Hiro. Now, I'm alone...sad about you Nall... Why do the ones I love always get taken away from me?'  
Ruby sighed as Hiro came out and sat beside her.  
"It's pretty chilly. Don't you think you should come in? If you catch a cold, we won't be able to go get Nall in the morning."  
"What could they be doing to him? I hope they didn't hurt him..." Ruby said sadly, "and what if the worst DID happen? What would the Dragon Kids do? What would I do!?"  
"Kill Lemina?" Hiro asked in a joking way.  
"Hiro! I'm serious!"  
"I wouldn't worry about it if I were you...little Dragon..." a voice said behind them.  
They spun around to find Ryo and Yira behind them. Ruby stood up, growling.  
"WHERE'S NALL!?!?!" Ruby roared.  
"Why, he's right here..." Yira said as a evil grin spread across her face, "but I don't think you'll like what you'll see."  
Nall appeared behind them, kneeled down on one knee and his head bowed. Ruby looked at him and didn't know whether to run toward him or away from him. He looked like Nall but she could tell something wasn't right. He was wearing black and dark purple armor with a black cape.  
"Nall! Are you okay?!"  
He stood up and glared at her. His stare was as cold as ice, instead of cool and full of playfulness. Nall pushed Ryo and Yira out of his way so he could make his way to Ruby. Ruby watched him for a while before running behind Hiro, who unsheathed his sword.  
"Hiro, something's wrong! That's not Nall!"  
"Oh...but it is..." Ryo hissed.  
She knew that it was definately the real Nall, by the presence and the aura he was giving off. But she didn't want to believe it. It was like the light was stripped from his very soul.  
"I don't wanna have to do this Nall! But you can't hurt Ruby!"  
Nall unsheathed his sword as well and suddenly lunged at Hiro. Ruby stood back as Nall and Hiro fought. Deep in her heart, she already knew who the victor would be. Nall slashed Hiro across the chest then kicked his wound, making him fly into a nearby wall. Hiro dropped his sword and groaned in pain, holding his injury which was beginning to bleed very badly.  
"Kill him! Kill him now!!" Ryo growled.  
"No! Torture the boy!" Yira said, "make it funny!"  
Nall glared at Hiro as he slowly walked over to him. He stepped on the gash on Hiro's chest, making him scream in pain. Ruby frowned. She couldn't let this happen. So she pushed Nall away from Hiro, and stood between them.  
"Stop!" she screamed, "Nall this isn't you!"  
"I'm not afraid...to kill a girl..."  
He grabbed her neck and slammed her into a wall, making her yelp in pain. His hand chilled her neck, making her choke from the shock of the icy feeling. Not only was his glare cold, but so was his skin. Of course, his body was usually cooler than any human's, she could tell when he used to grab her and shake her around or pet her back when she only stayed in her baby form, but this was different. It was an evil cold that was not of this realm. When he let her go, Ruby fell to the grass on her hands and knees and started coughing. Nall kicked her in the stomach to make her flip over and put the tip of his sword at her throat. Tears began to fall from her eyes once again.  
"Please don't do it..."  
Meanwhile, Lucia frowned and held her head. Jean looked at her confused.  
"What's wrong Lucia?"  
"I thought I heard someone scream...and I feel a familar presence near here, just outside actually...but it seems to be corrupted..."  
"We should probably check it out then," Ebony said transforming into her human form.  
Sapphiren followed suit as they ran out to the playground. They all stopped abruptly when they saw Nall.  
"Nall!?"  
"I knew it..." Lucia mumbled, "...but there's something wrong..."  
"Yes...it's your friend Nall...but he's not your friend anymore...Nall's decided to come to the winning team!"  
"That's not true...You brainwashed him..." Ruby whispered weakly.  
He just stared at her, emotionlessly. Yira walked up to Nall and grabbed his arm. Ruby snarled as she snuggled against him. Nall closed his eyes and grumbled softly.  
"Guess what? This cutie's mine now! Nyah-nyah! And he came all by himself! He never wanted you in the first place!" Yira laughed, "See?"  
She stood on her toes and kissed him passionately, making Ruby even more angry. Ryo shook his head at her.  
'Yira...don't underestimate her...' Ryo thought.  
"Ruby, do not let anger cloud your judgement!" Leo shouted.  
Nall pushed her away and glared at her. Yira raised an eyebrow confused.  
"Hey! You're suppo-"  
He quickly thrusted his sword into Yira's chest, piercing her heart. She gasped and looked down at the bloody sword that went through her body before collapsing on it. Everyone's eyes widened in shock. . "I told you not to touch me..." he growled as he slid her body off of his blade and threw her off of the balcony.  
Ryo ran to the balcony and looked over the ledge. Yira's body was no where to be found.  
"SISTER!!" Ryo roared. He glared at Nall and unsheathed his claws, "you aren't supposed to kill your team! YOU WEREN'T SUPPOSED TO KILL YIRA!!! You're supposed to kill them!"  
Nall slowly turned around and averted his gaze to Ryo.  
"You will do as I say! Or...you'll meet the same fate as that stupid girl!" Nall yelled, "and you know damn well I'm powerful enough to kill you too..."  
Ryo clenched his fists and looked down. Nall grinned.  
"Good boy. Now fetch the Black Dragon Aura!"  
"What! Nall don't you remember! You're a Dragon too!" Ebony yelled.  
Sapphiren stood in front of Ebony and stared at Ryo and Nall, determined to protect her.  
"Go help Hiro and Ruby..." Sapphiren mumbled, "I can handle this...I think...can I? Yeah...Yeah! I can!"  
"But Sapphiren! He's a lot stronger than you think!" Jean exclaimed.  
"Not to mention, Nall might jump in anytime. Are you sure you up to this?" Ronfar asked.  
He nodded. For once, the normally aloof and goofy Blue Dragon was completely serious. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting the wind blow through his hair as he thought about what he was going to do. Suddenly, his eyes snapped open and he smiled.  
"It's time for me to show Ebony what I'm really made of..." he said assuming a martial arts fighting stance, similar to the one used by members of the Blue Dragon Fist, "when someone fights for love, they can be strong enough to overcome anything...even their best friend who they know is way stronger than them..."  
"Sapphiren..." Ebony whimpered.  
"Good luck then buddy..."  
Ronfar smiled and walked away with the others to help Hiro and Ruby. Ryo walked over to Sapphiren, unsheathing his sharp claws. Ebony stepped back involuntarily out of fear.  
"Step out of the way Dragon! I have no need for you!"  
"Yeah well I have no need for you either! Get out of our lives will ya!"  
Sapphiren let out a battle cry and began punching and kicking him with lighting speed. Ryo could block very few of his attacks and soon he was flying into a wall. Sapphiren turned around and looked at Ebony, who was staring in disbelief.  
"Wow..."  
"You see Ebony! I AM strong! Living near Horam and the Zen Zone really did me some good!" he said.  
"Do you really love me?" Ebony asked, smiling and blushing shyly.  
"Of course I do! If I didn't love you, I wouldn't have been able to kick his butt so easily. Do you...love me?"  
"Oh, Sapphiren!!" she said as she jumped into him, hugging him tightly, "who couldn't?"  
He smiled broadly and wrapped his arms around her in a tight, loving embrace. He heard someone crying out, but he didn't listen because it wasn't Ebony yelling. The whole world disappeared around him as he held his love in his arms. He completely forgot about the situation; Nall being evil, the fact they're supposed to be getting their Auras back, Zophar's possible return. Nothing mattered at all. Suddenly, everything shattered as his eyes widened and his arms fell to his sides. Nall had stabbed Sapphiren in the back with his sword. Sapphiren stepped away from Ebony, turned around, and looked at Nall. Ebony looked from him, to the sword, to the blood on her clothes in utter horror. It took every ounce of her strength to stop from passing out.  
"W-why?" Sapphiren whispered weakly. He fell to his knees and coughed up blood, "w-what's wrong with you..."'  
They watched as Sapphiren fell forward and Nall took his sword out of his back. Everyone had tried to warn Sapphiren and Ebony that Nall was about to strike. None of them, however, had enough courage to actually go up and stop him, due to what he had done to Hiro and Ruby. They were hoping Sapphiren or Ebony, or both, would hear them and get out of there theirselves. Ruby shook her head in denial.  
"Lucia, what's going on!" Ruby yelled, "Nall would never do that! He would NEVER hurt us!"  
"Zophar...could have put a curse on his soul."  
"Just like what happened to Mauri...can't Ruby go into his mind like I did?"  
"I don't know. Nall is way too strong for us to hold off while Ruby's in there...plus the curse placed on him is too strong right now."  
"You sayin' Mauri's weak?" Ronfar mumbled.  
"Now's not the time to be stupid Ronfar!" Lemina yelled, "Of course we're not saying that!"  
Ebony tried to run but Nall grabbed her arms and held them behind her back. She squirmed, trying to release himself from her friend's grip. He growled and tightened his grip to keep her still.  
"Ryo! You lazy excuse of a minion!! Get up and take this Dragon Aura NOW!"  
Ryo shakily stood up and walked over to them. He lifted his hand and Ebony began to glow with a bright green light. She screamed and passed out as her Black Dragon Aura was extracted from her body. Ryo put it in a pouch as Nall dropped the unconscious girl beside Sapphiren.  
"That's it, I have to do something!" Ruby yelled.  
"Wait Ruby!" Hiro exclaimed.  
She ran over to Nall and stood in front of him.  
"What? I didn't think you wanted to die so quickly," he sneered.  
"Nall, I love you!"  
He blinked and scratched his head, puzzled.  
"And if you truly have decided to be evil...I can't live in a world where we fight and not make up over a plate of fish...go ahead and kill me if you want! Take my Aura! Do whatever you want! I don't care! Because I love you, I can't live without you being an arrogant, lovable, jerk..."  
"L-love?"  
  
Note: Wow...As I proofread this I realized this is a pretty good chapter...Lots of action with a pinch of romance. I'm pretty proud of this chapter seeing as though I'm usually not too good with fight scenes. Oh well, read, review, don't flame or I'll track you down and kill you...Psyche!! 


	10. Do You Remember?

Dragon Quest  
By: BlackLiGurl  
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue  
  
Note: This is the chapter where Ruby does some major butt kicking!  
  
Chapter 10: Do You Remember?  
  
Ruby pulled him into a tight embrace. Nall looked down at her and dropped his sword.  
"Who would have thought that the love that they shared would be what weakens the spell..." Jean said dreamily.  
"Uh...I knew..." Hiro mumbled, "that's why we let her go, ya know?"  
Jean glared at him, making him chuckle. Leo glanced at them then looked back at Nall and Ruby.  
'I don't know if this will work or not...but Ryo will probably try to stop Ruby...and this is a job for everyone's favorite crime-fighter...' Leo thought.  
He glanced around nervously and slinked away. Meanwhile, Ruby looked up at Nall and into his cold, emotionless eyes. Nall just stared back in bewilderment.  
"Yeah! Don't you remember when we were on the Dragonship Destiny...and-"  
"YOU TWO REALLY WERE DOING SOMETHING WEREN'T YOU!?!" Ronfar yelled, "ew..."  
"NO!!" she screamed glaring back at Ronfar. She cleared her throat and looked at Nall, "remember the song you were singing?"  
"Singing? I-I don't sing..."  
"It was the song that your friends Luna and Alex wrote, remember?"  
Nall pulled away from Ruby and glared at her.  
"You're lying!"  
"Do I look like I'm lying? Don't you remember me?"  
"No! No one loves me! I've never been loved! I'm alone and I'm gonna stay that way! Lonliness is all I'll ever known!!" Nall yelled, "n-now get out of my face b-before I decide to kill you!"  
Ryo laughed.  
"He's a prisoner of darkness! And even though he killed my only family...we still need him and you must be out of the way!"  
He lunged at Ruby, preparing to slice her in half. She didn't flinch. She just continued to stare at Nall who just glared back at her with a mixture of fear and anger in his eyes.  
"Will you let him hurt me?"  
Nall blinked and swiftly picked up his sword and blocked Ryo's claws. Ryo stared at Nall, confused.  
"Why did you stop me?"  
"I dunno..." he said backing away.  
"Good, out of my way so I can take her Aura and kill her..."  
"Do not fear! Mystere is here!"  
Just as Ryo thrusted his claws at Ruby's throat, Mystere jumped down from the high roof top of Taben's Peak and kicked him off balance. Everyone sweatdropped as Mystere put Ryo in a head lock.  
"What the...?!" they all exclaimed simultaneously.  
"Young maiden, continue helping your friend. I will hold off this evil-doer!"  
Ruby smiled.  
"Thanks Leo!"  
"I know not of this Leo you speak of...I am Mystere!"  
"Never thought I'd see this again..." Ronfar said shaking his head, "I am SO embarassed..."  
"At least he's holding off Ryo..." Lemina mumbled.  
Ruby looked back at Nall, who was staring at Mystere confused. Suddenly, he growled and shook his head.  
"You're starting to annoy me...so I'll just have to kill you!"  
Ruby stood, uncertain of what to do. She would have used fire but in her human form, she couldn't use her fire attacks, at least not that she knew of. But now wasn't the time to test that out because if it didn't work, she would be killed. She could have changed into her adult form, but she didn't want to kill him and she couldn't use Red Dragon Anger because it would destroy the entire place. Plus, her adult form would have less room to move making her a sitting duck if Ryo decided to take her Aura.  
"Ruby! Catch!"  
Lemina threw her wand at Ruby for her to catch it. Ruby glanced at it and frowned.  
"I don't know how to use this!"  
"Just point and say 'fire' or 'water'! Stuff like that!"  
Ruby nodded and pointed it at Nall. She wasn't really sure what attack she should use. This would be her first time fighting in her human form and she wished she was using something more simple and wasn't up against her "mate". With magic, she had to determine what type of attack would do the most or the least damage. But, she had to think fast because Nall wasn't playing around. If he could hurt Sapphiren so badly, probably killing him, he would kill her without a second thought. So she used what always came to her mind first.  
"FIRE!!"  
Fire shot out of the wand's jewel and engulfed Nall as he shielded his face. Ruby gasped, not meaning to use such power on him.  
"Oh...I forgot to mention...the urgency of your voice controls the amount of magic used..."  
"That's kinda late Lemina!" she yelled, "I could have seriously hurt him!"  
The fire died down and Nall was no where to be seen. She looked around, suddenly wishing she hadn't chosen to fight him. Suddenly, Nall appeared behind her and cut her back with his sword. Ruby spun around when she felt the pain shoot through her back. She stared at him and gasped.  
'How'd he...?' she thought. But, it suddenly came to her, 'he teleported..duh...'  
Nall smiled at her, almost playfully. He doubted that she could defeat him and was teasing her. She frowned at him and pointed the wand at him. Her hand was shaking but she knew she couldn't yell or it would be too powerful. Then, she had to think of an attack that wouldn't hurt him, he couldn't teleport away from, and would hold him for a while.  
"Ice!"  
The beam of ice that was fired at his arms took him by surprise, binding him. He had expected her to use a fire attack. Nall looked down, slightly confused. He tried to free himself, but it didn't work. Ruby pushed him and, without his arms to balance him, he fell on his back. She was proud of herself for being able to knock Nall down, but she wasn't very happy at the time.  
"When I get out of this...I'm going to kill you..." he teased, "and I'll make sure it hurts..."  
Ruby could see that Nall's personality was emerging, although it disturbed her that he could still be Nall yet be evil at the same time. She began to question the goodness that was in Nall in the first place.  
'How could a simple curse be strong enough to make him completely evil? Mauri's old self came out and pleaded for Ronfar's help every now and then. The only thing I can think of is that maybe he wasn't all that good in the first place. Maybe all of those years of being alone corrupted him and this was just the thing needed to send him over the edge...'  
Suddenly, she heard a child-like yawn. She turned around to see some of the Dragon Kids had began gathering by the door.  
"What's going on, Ruby?" a young girl asked sleepily, "are you and Big Brother training?"  
"When did Big Brother get back anyway? How come he didn't come in and say hi?"  
'Big Brother? Are they talking about me?' Nall thought as he looked past Ruby and at the children.  
"Yes...we're training...now you gotta go back inside!"  
"Can we help in some way?"  
'They could help...but if Nall breaks free of the ice, they'll all be in danger. And I can't risk their lives...but I can't think of anything else...'  
"I can make sure the kids stay inside," Lemina said about to round them up.  
"No! They can help..."  
Her fellow adventurers looked at her in shock while the children beamed at her happily. They were just glad they could help. Nall managed to get on his knees and watched as they came closer. He smirked at Ruby while still watching them.  
"I'll kill them too..." he said quietly, inaudible to everyone except her, "just wait..."  
She glared at him before smiling at the kids once they had gathered around her. The innocent confusion in their gazing eyes made Nall frown. He felt as though this was something that would normally make him smile and want to answer all of the questions they asked.  
"Now, I need you to tell Nall, your Big Brother, anything that you remember of the time you two shared..."  
"That's no fun...I thought we'd get to play Cowboys and Indians!" a boy said, "it looks like you were playing that with Nall! Why can't we play too!"  
"I'll get the arrows!" another said.  
Lucia shivered at the thought of the evil game and grabbed Hiro's arm. But, Hiro's mind was somewhere else. He didn't even notice her. He was watching Mystere and Ryo fight.  
'How long will Leo be able to hold off Ryo?' Hiro wondered, 'should we be helping him or Ruby?'  
"We should be healing Sapphiren before he leaves us..." Ronfar said taking the twig out of his mouth, as if he had read Hiro's mind, "Ruby can handle Nall and Leo...or Mystere...can handle Ryo for the time being."  
Hiro nodded and retrieved Ebony and Sapphiren, with the help of Jean, and laid them by Ronfar. He cleared his throat and began healing Sapphiren. The kids were still talking about how they wanted to play Cowboys and Indians, which was annoying Ruby.  
"Do what I said or I'll give you a beating!!" Ruby threatened. She softened her tone as they shut up, "besides...Nall...isn't feeling well...and needs you right now. This is something you need to do if you ever want to see him again."  
"Is he going to die? I thought he said he couldn't die!"  
"No..."  
The kids looked at each other and began thinking about a time they could talk about. Ruby sighed. Even if Nall wasn't all that good, she still loved him and wanted him to be okay.  
"Big Brother, do you remember when you found me? I was drowning in a river and you saved me! Then you brought me here!" a little boy said.  
"I-"  
"My turn, my turn!" a girl yelled, "do you remember when you told us the story of the cat that was all alone for many, many years because he was different until he found a cat that was different just like him that saved him from lonliness?"  
Ruby raised an eyebrow at the little girl's story. She was going to have to ask Nall about this "story" when all of this is over.  
"You tell us a whole bunch of stories about ancient stuff. One time you told us the story of the Goddess and the Dragonmaster. It was a really romantic story. Want me to tell it to you?"  
"No..."  
"Yeah, he already knows the story Shiva!! He told it so he knows it, duh!"  
"I was just checking!"  
"Remember when I wash crying because I misshed my mommy and daddy and you gave me a great big hug to make me feel okay? Then, you let me sheep in your room sho I wouldn't be alone or teashed by the other kidsh?" a boy with a lisp said. ((A/N: That's right, I did that on purpose!!))  
The other kids erupted in noise as they started to tease him and caused a big commotion. Ruby's eyebrow twitched as they argued.  
"Okay...that's enough guys..go before you annoy Nall..."  
They laughed at her and soon gathered in a circle to converse about something. Finally, they looked back at them and smiled.  
"We wanna give Big Brother a hug!!"  
Ruby thought about it. She looked at the ice binding Nall and saw that it was still pretty strong. Plus, she thought that maybe their hugs would help him remember.  
"Go ahead...but be quick about it!"  
The children celebrated and gave Nall a group hug. He growled under his breath as they hugged him.  
"You know what to say kids!" Ruby said.  
"WE LOVE YOU BIG BROTHER!!"  
"Now get!"  
They smiled and ran out. Nall just watched them, dumbfounded by the amount of affection showed by them. Ruby looked down at him.  
"They're the Dragon Kids...and you take care of them. As you can see...they admire and love you very much. Do you want to let them down?"  
"I don't care about them!!" Nall roared as he broke the ice around him and got up, "All I care about is killing you!"  
The body heat from the children when they hugged him melted the ice just enough for him to get free. Ruby shook her head.  
"What about Alex...and Luna...they were your bestest friends in the whole world remember? They're probably really saddened by the way you're acting."  
"I don't know of these people!" Nall yelled.  
"Hiro! Hand me your sword!"  
Hiro complied and slid the sword over to Ruby. She held it up to Nall.  
"This is Althena's sword, the sword Alex gave you to protect!" Ruby said showing it to him, "then you gave it to Hiro so he could get Lucia..."  
"I'll kill you!"  
"Well, use the sword Alex gave you..."  
"You're gonna wish you hadn't done that...prepare for a world of pain!! Although...it'll only be a few minutes. But that short moment of pain will bring me pleasure beyond anything you can fathom!"  
Nall snatched the sword and brought it up, preparing to stab her. Ruby watched him, confident for an unknown reason that he wouldn't be able to do it. As he thrusted it down, toward her chest, his eyes widened and he stopped only a few centimeters from her heart, so very close to killing her. Slowly, he brought it closer to him to look at it. Althena's sword seemed to glow with a strange light as he held it in his hands.  
"I gave this to you, Nall...you can't kill her with it...you love her," a familiar male voice said inside his head, "you know Althena's sword was meant to protect the ones you love and you love them all! You don't really want to hurt them. Let them help you be freed from this evil! This isn't the real you!"  
His breathing suddenly got labored as he dropped the sword, frightened by the voice he had just heard. He backed away from the sword, staring at it like it was the most evil thing he had ever laid his hands on.  
"A-Alex? W-why..ARGH!"  
Nall grabbed his head and fell on his knees. Ruby kneeled down and put a hand on his face as he cried out in pain.  
"What are you...DOING TO ME!?!" he roared, closing his eyes tightly.  
"Listen to what she has to say. She knows you better than you know yourself right now..." the voice said.  
"NO! Go away!!"  
Ruby sighed, thinking he was talking to her, and rubbed his cheek lovingly. He opened his eyes, yet kept them narrowed to look at her.  
'My head is pounding! It's like something is trying to be free! What has this girl done to me!? How did she do this!? Who was talking to me!! Is she using telepathy? No...it's a boy's voice! What's going on!?'  
"Alex...Luna...Ramus...Mia...Nash...Kyle...Jessica...they were all your friends!" she said, "And now you have Hiro, Lucia, Jean, Ronfar, Lemina, Leo, Ebony, Sapphiren, the Dragon Kids...and me...you'll never be alone! Never again!"  
He looked at the ground blankly, then collapsed into Ruby's arms. Ruby ruffled his hair as she thought about him. She still wondered if he was a bad person deep down. Lucia walked over to the two, making Ruby look up at her in curiousity.  
"Zophar's curse must be very strong..." Lucia mumbled, "...not once did his normal self come out..."  
"Does that mean he was a bad person to begin with?"  
Lucia laughed.  
"Of course not! Nall is the White Dragon of Althena, Dragon of ice and light. He can't be evil because he wasn't made to be. Sometimes he may seem like...I believe the term is 'jerk'...but that's just his personality. He always has a good intention in mind, whether he's stealing someone's money or scolding you. You see, the power of light in him would probably make him the purest of all the Dragons, followed by Sapphiren, the Dragon of water and friendship; you, the Dragon of fire and courage; then Ebony, the Dragon of electricity and darkness."  
"Ebony's evil?"  
"No, it's just that as the Black Dragon, she's more vulnerable to be corrupted because of her power of darkness. All Black Dragons are like that. Take Rubeus, Ebony's father, for example...he was easily taken over by Ghaleon in the past."  
"I see..." Ruby mumbled.  
"That's the reason why a White Dragon is always the chief of the Four Dragons," Lucia said. Suddenly, she took on a grim tone, "it would take a lot of darkness and evil to corrupt them...and that's what has happened here. But, the more evil put into the curse, the harder it will be to save the one cursed...whether they have the purest heart in the whole universe or the darkest."  
Ruby sighed sadly and looked down at him. He was frowning even as he was out cold, like he was having a nightmare. It was obvious that he was fighting the curse, deep within his subconscious.  
"Lucia, do you think I could go in his mind now? I know what I said didn't cure him but I DO think it weakened the curse."  
"Yes, I just hope he stays out of it for a while. Are you ready? Remember, if you run into trouble, it could mean life or death for the both of you."  
Ruby nodded.  
"Just keep Ryo busy. I'll be able to do it."  
Mystere screamed as Ryo knocked him off the balcony.  
"Leo!" Lemina screamed.  
"Remember my name is Mystere!!" he yelled as he fell.  
She and Jean ran over to the ledge and looked down. Mystere was hanging onto a branch sticking out from the building by his cape.  
"I'm okay! Just help the others fight off Ry-I mean-that evil doer!"  
Lucia cupped her hands together, making a bright light shine forth from them. Ruby looked at Nall and smiled, right before she collapsed on top of him. She appeared on a rock in a dark, cold world, Lemina's wand still in her hand. She looked around, horrorfied.  
"This is Nall's mind? Why is it so dark? I thought Lucia said Nall was the purest of us..."  
"Zophar's curse is what's making it so dark..."  
Ruby turned around and saw a boy around 15, looking around. He had short, light brown hair and bright green eyes. The boy was wearing a blue chinchila hat, a green shawl-like jacket with yellow fur lining the inside, a white long sleeved shirt, and tan pants tucked inside his brown boots. Ruby raised an eyebrow confused.  
"Who...are you?" Ruby asked, "Hey! How'd you get in Nall's mind!"  
  
Note: I likey! Do you likey? I likey! But you are the ones that must likey!! 


	11. Enter the Dragon

Dragon Quest

By: BlackLiGurl

Lunar 2: Eternal Blue

Note: I don't really know what to say. Except...I finally decided to put spaces between my paragraphs. It IS easier to read. This was requested by Karana Belle, a reviewer from my story "Fire". Thanks !

Chapter 11: Enter the Dragon

Ruby put her hands on her hips and glared down at the other person. He seemed a little timid and was definately a little young looking but she knew better than to underestimate anyone. 

"Who are you! Are you the curse!"

The boy Ruby had just met in Nall's subconscious smiled and looked down shyly

"Oh no, no, no! I'm sorry if I startled you. I'm Alex. Alex of Burg."

"Alex? As in Dragonmaster Alex, Nall's best friend? But you're dead!"

"I haven't heard Dragonmaster attached to my name in a while! Is that how Nall referred to me?" Alex said laughing, "I came from the Blue Star to help him. You see, a spirit can only come down once so I saved my chance until a time I knew that Nall would really need me. This is that time..."

"Well, my name's Ruby. I'm the Red Dragon of Althena. Can you help me save Nall?"

"That's what I'm here for!"

Meanwhile, Ronfar was trying to revive Sapphiren and everyone else was fighting Ryo when Nall began to wake up. He sat up and looked down at Ruby's limp body on his lap. He ran his hand through her hair curiously. His hand wandered to her face, which he couldn't stop staring at. She was beautiful, now that he thought about it, and it made him blush.

'Why do I feel like...I should be liking this? She IS very pretty. She makes me want to..'

He leaned down, closer to her face. But then, he shook his head and pushed her off of him as he stood up.

"Oh no! Ruby hasn't come back yet!" Lemina exclaimed.

"Great, now we have to hold off Nall too!"

Nall picked up his sword and looked at the group of people.

"Now...where was I?" he said.

He picked up Ruby's body and looked at her.

"You almost succeeded...in poisoning my mind with your lies...your beauty..." he threw her over his shoulder, "everyone, come with me!"

"What!? We're not going to do that!" Jean yelled.

"If you want this girl to live you will..."

They looked at each other and sighed. Nall chuckled and waved his hand, making an energy net appear over them.

"Okay...I said I'd be okay, but I would really like some help now!"

Nall looked over the ledge at Mystere and grinned mischievously. He grabbed Mystere's hand and brought him over the edge.

"Get in the net you wanna-be super hero..."

Mystere opened his mouth to speak, but just went to the net and got under it.

"Great job Leo..." Ronfar mumbled.

"I know not of..."

Ronfar grabbed Mystere's mask and threw it aside, revealing Leo's face. Leo gasped and looked around nervously.

"Wha-what are you doing!"

"Just give it up Leo!" Jean yelled.

"Shut up in there. I don't feel like hearing your annoying voices! You're...giving me a headache...Come on Ryo!"

Ryo grabbed the rope of the net and teleported both himself and the others to the castle. Nall looked around and frowned.

"This place, that girl, those people...they all look...familiar..."

The Dragon Kids that were talking to them before were still watching from the door and several more had joined them. They were all crying.

"Big Brother, why are you doing this?" he heard one whine.

He stared at them confused. Just as he was about to walk over to them and answer them, he growled and turned away. He balled up his fist as he heard them started crying louder.

'These are those kids that were talking to me before. I think that girl called them...Dragon Kids? Why are they calling me Big Brother anyway? How do they know me again? That girl said I take care of them. No..that's not true! I should destroy this place, it's making my chest..no..my heart hurt. But I can't bring myself to do it. I feel like I have to take care of them...' he thought, glancing at them over his shoulder, 'this'll be the first place that goes when Zophar is ressurected...I'll make sure of it!'

Nall shook off the feeling that he had to stay there and teleported to the castle along with the others. The kids looked at each other worried.

"WAAARGH!!!"

Ruby screamed while they were walking around. Alex stopped looked at her.

"What?"

"Where's Nall!"

Suddenly, black smoke rose before them and took the form of a human. Ruby screamed and hid behind Alex.

"What's that!?"

"That's probably the curse!"

"How are we going to destroy it? Don't we need like, a priest?!"

"I don't know..."

"I should have brought Ronfar with me!!"

The shadow person laughed, making Ruby mad. She stepped up and pointed the wand at it.

"Maybe this'll work! Fire!"

Fire wrapped around the shadow, but it was unphased. Ruby stopped the attack and looked at the wand confused.

"How come fire never works anymore!"

"We have to find Nall. Something tells me this is something he has to comfort himself."

The shadow walked over to Ruby and transformed into Nall. Ruby blinked and stared at the imposter.

"Wha..?"

"Ruby...just leave. You're too weak to help me so just go. There's nothing YOU can do...Zophar will be revived, the world will be destroyed, and it'll be by my hands."

She gasped and stepped back. Suddenly, she completely forgot that that was the shadow.

"B-but Nall!"

"You know I'm really a bad person. That's what you were thinking, wasn't it? Lucia was wrong, what does she know about my own heart? Why do you think I'm a thief?"

"Lucia's like Althena now...she knows almost everything."

"And you know that I don't REALLY love you right? I was just saying that so you wouldn't go to Hiro, who I have to admit, I hate...he annoys me..."

"W-what?"

"If you leave right now, I promise you that you will be spared and you can even rule a part of Zophar's world with me."

Ruby thought about it. Alex cleared his throat, deciding it was finally time to step in. Ruby glanced at Alex then back at Nall's imposter.

"Ruby, ignore it. That's not Nall. It's the curse remember? It's trying to make you leave so it can stay here."

Ruby shook her head and growled.

"Alex is right! Go away! I'm staying because I love Nall...no matter what..."

The imposter raised an eyebrow then shrugged.

"Can't say I didn't warn you...I always did think you were just a stupid little girl..."

He disappeared. Ruby fell on her knees and slammed her fists into the ground.

"I can't do this! I AM stupid! I am! I can't save Nall!"

"Don't say that Ruby," Alex said kindly, "besides, if you keep talking like that, you might make the curse stronger."

Ruby looked up at him and smiled. He reminded her of a more quiet, less obnoxious Hiro. He looked around for a while before gasping.

"Look!"

"Nall!"

They ran over to him. He was chained to the ground in his human form, out cold. Ruby kneeled down and shook him, but he didn't wake up.

"What's wrong? Is he okay?" she asked, "how is he here and out there at the same time?"

"That's Nall's subconscious self. He must have been fighting the curse..."

A glowing diamond appeared infront of them. Ruby looked at it confused.

"That's a locked memory. If we release some of them, we might be able to revive Nall."

Ruby touched the diamond, making it shine. A different world replaced the dark one like paint spilling on a canvas. They were in a snowy plain. She looked around.

"What's this?"

"A memory."

A white blur flew past their faces, followed by several monsters. The blur slammed into a tree and fell in the snow. From the snow, a white kitten with brown fur down his back emerged. He rubbed his head and started crying.

"That's Nall!"

The monsters surrounded young Nall and pounced on him. But, a brown- haired man came and killed the monsters. Alex smiled as the man picked up the small, half dead cat and brought him away.

"You're coming with me. Quark wouldn't want you to die so early in your life, Nall. What are you doing so far outside the cave anyway? Oh well, I'll just tell Quark I left you with Noah and my son..."

"This is when Laike gave my father Nall."

"Who's Quark? I heard Nall mention him before..."

"Quark? That's Nall's father!"

"And this Laike just said Noah and HIS son? Does that mean that your father is actually your stepfather?"

"Uh...I didn't know that...but that would explain a lot..."

The memory blanked out like a TV being cut off, and they were back where they started.

"What do we do next?" she said, completely forgetting about the fact that she had just told Alex he was adopted.

However, Alex had already shaken it off and was now worried about helping Nall. He slipped away from Ruby as she looked around.

"Hey! Come over here!"

She blinked and walked over to Alex. He was standing in front of another memory diamond nearby.

"I can't touch it..."

Ruby nodded and touched the diamond, making the world change again. This time they were in a house. Nall was laying on a bed when a little boy around 2 years old walked in. The boy pet the brown fur on his head, waking him up.

"Wake up kitty!"

"Kitty? I'm not a cat! I'm a...I don't remember..."

"That's okay. I can tell you're a kitty! Even though, kitties can't talk and they don't have wings!"

"Alex..." a man with black hair walked in the room and ruffled the little boy's hair, "This is Nall. He'll be like your brother, okay?"

"Okay Daddy! Hi Nall!"

"Hello Alex!"

"Remember, Nall's not your pet..."

The memory disappeared.

"That explains why he thought he was a cat..." she said glancing at Alex.

Alex laughed and scratched the back of his neck, nervously.

"Anyway, let's try to find more memories..."

In the outside world, everyone was in a cage except Ruby's body, which laid on the floor near Nall. He was sitting in a chair massaging his head, growling softly. Sapphiren got up and winced in pain.

"What happened?" he mumbled, touching his still bleeding, yet smaller, injury.

"Nall stabbed you, Ruby went into Nall's subconscious and is trying to break the spell, and Nall captured us and brought us to Ryo's hideout..." Hiro said.

Sapphiren looked down at his wound then at Nall. He stood up, ignoring the blood and the pain and grabbed the bars. He shook them and screamed like crazy.

"WHAT'S WRONG TRAITOR!! HAVE A HEADACHE!! WELL I'LL BE SURE TO MAKE IT WORST!! WALAHALA WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Nall glared at him and he stopped. He looked back at Lucia.

"Why is he in pain anyway," Sapphiren whispered, "what's wrong."

"Maybe this is a sign that Ruby's breaking the curse," Lucia said.

"A curse? So he WAS brainwashed..."

"I just said that..." Hiro mumbled, "how come you didn't say that when I said it?"

"I didn't hear you..."

"Shut up!" Nall roared, "before I kill you all!"

He glared at Ruby and picked up her body.

"Who are you! What have you done to me!" he yelled.

Ryo watched Nall drop Ruby and sit back down from a corner. He knew that chances were that Nall was about to be set free from Zophar's curse. He sighed.

"I can't believe Yira's gone...she was a little annoying, but she was my sister...and now she'll never get to fall in love or see the Green Earth..." he mumbled, "as soon as Nall comes to his senses, I'm killing him...and I'm making sure he suffers..."  
  
Note: Yes...Sapphiren's alive...wow, I really don't have much to say...Read and review!


	12. Freedom

Dragon Quest  
By: BlackLiGurl  
Lunar 2: Eternal Blue  
  
Note: Alrighty people, we are slowly nearing the end of this story! The stadium erupts in applause Don't ask me where that came from...heh heh heh...  
  
Chapter 12: Freedom  
  
"Alex, Nall, this is Luna."  
  
Ruby and Alex were inside another memory. Alex's father was holding a little girl with light blue hair. She was the same age as little Alex, around 3. Little Alex, with Nall on his shoulder, ran over as his father put the girl in a bed. Nall jumped down to examine her.  
  
"Hello!" Nall yelled.  
  
"I don't think she's awake..." Little Alex mumbled.  
  
"Oh, okay!" Nall said before he flew into the kitchen, "don't forget to tell me when she wakes up! I wanna meet her! She's cute!"  
  
"Where are you going now?"  
  
"Where else would I be going Alex! I'm getting some leftover fish!"  
  
The memory left. Ruby smiled.  
  
"Nall has such wonderful memories of you..."  
  
"Yeah...oh, here's another one..."  
  
Another locked memory appeared infront of them. Ruby touched it, releasing the memory. They were in a forest watching Luna, Alex, and Nall as they walked around.  
  
"Okay, let's play Four Heroes!" Alex said.  
  
"I hate to burst your bubble Alex," Luna said, "but there's only three of us! And Nall's can't be a human and he refuses to be a monster."  
  
"That's okay! I'll be Dragonmaster Dyne and you can be Althena, Luna!"  
  
"What about me?"  
  
"You can be Quark!"  
  
"Yay!"  
  
Older Alex laughed, making Ruby confused.  
  
"What's so funny?"  
  
"The roles I gave out wound up being the roles we actually played in the last battle..." Alex said laughing, "not to mention, these are my memories too..."  
  
"Oh yeah, well, there's another one of those memory thingies!"  
  
A chubby little 6 year old was crying and curled up in a ball. Just as these boys were about to pummel him, Luna, Alex, and Nall stepped in.  
  
"What do you think you're doing!" Luna yelled.  
  
The boys turned around and laughed nervously.  
  
"S-sorry Luna. W-we were j-just teaching fatty not to steal our candy..."  
  
"Well you better leave him alone because he's with us!! I told him to get us some candy!"  
  
"Yeah! You better listen to Luna! She'll kick your butts so hard you'll kiss the Blue Star!!" Nall teased.  
  
"Okay Luna! Sorry Luna!"  
  
The boys ran away as Luna, Alex, and Nall walked over to the chubby little boy.  
  
"Hello, what's your name?" Alex asked.  
  
"I'm Ramus...th-thank you for saving me..."  
  
"No problem!" Nall said.  
  
"Let's be friends, 'kay?" Luna said, smiling warmly at the boy.  
  
"Y-you lied for me...I think that means we're already friends!"  
  
Suddenly, the memory changed as how Nall and Alex met all of the people from their adventures, like Kyle, Jessica, Mel, Mia, Nash, Laike, Lemia, and Ghaleon flashed quickly before their eyes. They released various other memories; when they evaded the past Fortress of Althena, the Five Heroes' first reunion at the Music Festival, their deaths (which made them cry), when he first found Taben's Peak, when he met the first Dragon Kid, when he met Ruby, when the Four Dragons attack Pentagulia, and when Ruby first came to stay with him while Hiro had left Vane with Lucia. The memories disappeared and Ruby sighed. She was starting to doubt herself and didn't know if she could do this.  
  
"What are we going to do? He has too many memories and by the time we get them all...the outside world will be destroyed by Zophar!"  
  
Suddenly, they heard a yell.  
  
"Nall must've woken up!"  
  
She ran toward the yell as she ran, she thought about what had worried her earlier. It made her laugh actually.  
  
'Nall can never be a bad person! I should have been known that he wasn't bad and stupid to think he was!'  
  
Little did she know, she had left poor Alex behind. She finally came upon Nall. He was sitting up, but his head hung low, like he was about to keel over at any moment.  
  
"Nall!"  
  
He looked up weakly and smiled.  
  
"R-Ruby...is that you?" he whispered, "you have to go away...the curse is still roaming around here and it just attacked me...it could attack you at any moment."  
  
Ruby ran over to him and gave him a hug. She could feel him shake from exghaustion as she wrapped her arms around him.  
  
"Oh Nall! You look horrible!!" she said, "come on we have to go!"  
  
"I'd love to but...in case you haven't noticed...I'M CHAINED TO THE FREAKIN' GROUND!!!"  
  
Ruby raised an eyebrow. She couldn't bring herself to say anything smart back, especially when she was too happy to see him. And she knew for sure it was him and not the curse because of his sarcasm, another reason she didn't respond. She just smiled at him.  
  
"Glad to see you're still as sarcastic and rude as ever...I meant-"  
  
Suddenly, black branches pushed Ruby out of the way as it wrapped around Nall, like a cage.  
  
"You've saved me so many times Nall...now...I'll save you! I promise!"  
  
"Just...go Ruby...forget about me..." she heard him say, "you can live with Hiro and-"  
  
"I'll never forget you Nall!" she said punching the branches, "and I can't just forget all that you've done for me!"  
  
"Ruby, please! I don't want you to get hurt! Go! Now!"  
  
"Same here! I'm not leaving and that's that!"  
  
"Go!"  
  
"No!"  
  
"Don't be stupid!"  
  
"Don't be a dumbass!"  
  
"Don't call me a dumbass, stupid!"  
  
"Don't call me stupid, dumbass!" Ruby yelled, "now, shut up so I can concentrate!"  
  
He finally didn't respond. Ruby looked at the cage, determined, and started punched, pulling, and gnawing at the branches. For about 10 minutes she continued this, but got no where. She transformed into her Dragon form and began to bite it. It broke under the pressure of the her jaws, setting Nall free. He fell onto her paw.  
  
"Nall...are you okay?"  
  
She turned back into her preferred form and smiled at him. He leaned on her for support.  
  
"Why do you have to be so stubborn? You could have gotten yourself killed you foolish little girl..." he said, looking at her hand, "look at your hand...you're hurt."  
  
Ruby looked at it and saw scratches and cuts. Her whole hand was red and sore. She presumed the other was in the same condition.  
  
"I did this because you mean a lot to me. Duh. Now how do you feel?"  
  
"I feel bad. I'm sore all over..." he mumbled, "...but I'd hate to feel what this is doing to my body..."  
  
"Oh yeah! Look who else is here!"  
  
Alex was running toward them, waving his arms. Nall's eyes widened as the young man came nearer.  
  
"Ruby! You run too fast!" he panted, "what's going on?"  
  
"A-Alex!"  
  
He smiled and walked over to the couple. Nall lept from Ruby's arms and hugged Alex. He cried into the boy's jacket, obviously not caring who was there to see him. Ruby watched the happy reunion, smiling. Nall wasn't one to show his feelings, cry, or act sensitive in the least bit, except for a few rare occasions, so she didn't want to interrupt this moment so he can go ahead and let it out. Besides, if he was reminded that she was standing there, he might have stopped. Alex patted him on his back.  
  
"Nall...I've missed you my old sneaking-away-on-adventures buddy!"  
  
"I never thought I'd hear your voice again..."  
  
Nall laughed weakly as Alex pushed him away to get a good look at him. Alex beamed at his wounded friend proudly.  
  
"Wow, you've grown! Lookin' good!"  
  
"I wish I didn't feel like I was about to die right now...'cause I'd probably look a lot better..."  
  
"ARGH!"  
  
Outside of his mind, Nall fell on his hands and knees, panting and looking at the ground. His eyes were widened in shock as memories flooded into his mind.  
  
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Lemina asked.  
  
"I don't know..." Lucia mumbled.  
  
Ryo stood up and walked over to Nall.  
  
"We have to take this Dragon's Aura!"  
  
"Do what you...have to..." he panted.  
  
Ryo put his hand over Ruby and she glowed bright red. Soon, her Dragon Aura was in his hands. Ryo smirked.  
  
"Now we can revive Zophar!" he laughed, "and Princess Lucia and her friends will have a front row seat!!"  
  
Ruby, in Nall's subconscious, began to glow as well. Nall looked at her.  
  
"What happening?"  
  
"I-I don't know..."  
  
She fainted. Nall let go of Alex and caught Ruby. But, since he was already weaken, he fell down with her.  
  
"We have to break this curse so I can help Ruby...and the world..."  
  
"Well, go kill it..."  
  
Nall sat Ruby by Alex.  
  
"Look after her..."  
  
Alex nodded. He looked around when suddenly, the imposter that Ruby and Alex saw appeared before him. Nall stood up, stumbling forward several times. Alex reached out to help him stand, but Nall shook his head.  
  
"Just take care of Ruby...I can handle this by myself..."  
  
'You may have grown Nall...but I'm glad to see you're still as stubborn as ever...'  
  
Nall glared at the imposter as it chuckled.  
  
"You know...deep down in our heart...that we'll always be alone..."  
  
Nall opened his to say something but then just looked at the ground. The imposter laughed louder as the world they were in got darker.  
  
"That's right. You see Ruby over there? She'll leave us for Hiro as soon as Lucia dies. She says she loves us, but that's not true and we both know that...she just wanted a human form so she can get Hiro to be attracted to her instead of Lucia."  
  
"Don't listen to it Nall, remember this happened to me, Kyle, Mia, Jessica, and Nash? It was you who was wise enough to know that it wasn't really what we thought..." Alex yelled.  
  
Nall smiled.  
  
"That's right. Yes...evil shadow curse thing...that WAS how I thought. And, at the time it seemed true. But I don't think that now. Ruby will be with me for all eternity and I'll never be alone again...not to mention, there are plenty of kids back at Taben's Peak to keep me company, even if Ruby does decide to go on another adventure with Hiro...I won't stop her because I want her to be happy and spend as much time as she can with her human friends before they go..."  
  
"But she won't come back when she goes, you'll be lonely again."  
  
"She will come back because she said she loves me...and Ruby never lies..."  
  
"How do you know that? She could have been lying."  
  
"Because she's too sincere for her own damn good...I can trust her. More than I can trust you! So get!"  
  
The imposter turned into smoke and disappeared. Nall's subconscious world became pure white once again. Nall looked around and smiled. Alex scratched his head.  
  
"That was it? That was all you had to do?"  
  
"You see...when I was first attacked...I believe what the curse said. That allowed it to weaken me by taking my memories and it took over. But now, even though only a few of my memories were unlocked, it was enough to make me a little stronger. Then, you helped me defeat it by facing my own fear, which was being alone and Ruby leaving me...get it now?" Nall explained.  
  
Alex nodded.  
  
"Glad I could help. Now go to the real world and save it...I have to go..."  
  
Nall smiled and hugged Alex again.  
  
"Goodbye. It was great to see you again..."  
  
"Same here. But, I'm even more happy that you've found love..." Alex said as he started to fade away.  
  
Nall sighed and looked at Ruby. He touched her head and, in a flash of light, she was back in her own subconscious. Outside, Nall was standing beside Ryo as the Dragon Auras appeared in a huge bowl-like structure in the floor. Energy bolts from various guns hit the Auras and coursed through them. The sky became dark and lighting and thunder came from no where. That's when the curse broke and the true Nall emerged. He stumbled back and rubbed his head.  
  
"O-ow...Damn, I knew this would hurt..."  
  
"Nall!!" Jean screamed.  
  
"He's back! This is mega-awesome!!"  
  
He stumbled over to the cage and unlocked it, setting them free.  
  
"Get Ryo, I have to help Ruby..."  
  
"She got her-"  
  
"I know.."  
  
Everyone, except the four Dragons, prepared their weapons as they walked over to Ryo. He just laughed.  
  
"I could care less if you destroy me! My goal is nothing without my sister, and Zophar has been revived, he'll be stronger than ever!!! AND THERE'S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT!!"  
  
He laughed like a maniac right before he was struck by lighting. They looked up confused. Zophar stood over them in his Omni-God form. He was the one that attacked Ryo.  
  
"I have no need for you Ryo...be gone!!"  
  
"B-But Lord Zophar!!! You promised..."  
  
Ryo screamed as he was turned into dust at a wave of his hand. Zophar laughed.  
  
"Who's next?"  
  
"Zophar! We have destroyed you once, and we'll gladly do it again!!" Lucia screamed.  
  
Note: Hm...quite a twist in events. Zophar has killed Ryo! What will happen next! Heh...I already know because I was the one who wrote the story...But I think I should warn you...things get a bit dramatic after this point (as if it wasn't dramatic enough). So, I'll really need everyone's comments and critism! Let me know if I like, go too far with the drama . 


	13. DISCONTINUED

THIS STORY HAS BEEN DISCONTINUED DUE TO THE FACT THAT IT IS OLD AND OUT OF DATE.

Not to mention, a lot of my stories were lost since floppy disks do not last six years. My skills have improved tons over the last several years, so I encourage all of you who are interested in these fanfics to stick around read my new ones.

The only reason these stories are being kept (while most were backed up and deleted from this site) is because they are the best of my crappy stories and also seems to have gathered the most fans. I would feel bad taking away a story that a lot of people clearly like. So they are still around but will never be updated. If you review, you are beating a dead horse and I strongly suggest not doing so lest it rise from the dead to destroy you. Please do not ask for updates, rewrites, or anything having to do with these stories. They are done, they are dead, and they are never coming back.

I apologize for the inconvenience, but writing grows up with the writer and both me and my writing have grown past these stories to the point I could never continue them to your liking even if I tried.

Again, I encourage all who were interested to read my new fanfics! Thank you.


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